Mirage
by AyaAkamatsu
Summary: After Brotherhood, two Xingese strangers are found dying in the desert by a caravan of traders. Ling developes feelings for the girl looking after him, and must face the separation of a forbidden romance. LingxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**A/N: This story was started by a request, so the idea did not spring into my head until after I was asked. Not that I am not a Ling fangirl, I am, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to let out my fandom. It is yet another OC romance, which takes place after Brotherhood. I think those are my favorite type of fanfiction, considering that is almost all I have written.**

**A future note on the language, I tend to forget that Xing is the equivalent of China in the FMA world, so please excuse me if I throw in several Japanese terms here and there!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>Slowly moving across the Great Desert's sand was a caravan of Xingese tradesmen and their horses, pulling carts of oriental goods, food and drink, and canvas for tents behind them. They moved as a pack along their journey, sticking close to their animals. A slim white figure could be seen sprinting ahead, breaking away from their organized group, ignoring the warning calls of those behind her.<p>

"Ushio! Ushio! It is a mirage!"

Instead of listening to the blurring voices of her family, Ushio pushed further, darting across the scorching desert sand on her toes. She was holding her breath as she ran, unable to force herself to draw in the hot air and the clouds of dust she was kicking up with it. She was driving herself forward by the thought of a figure there, about to pass out of dehydration. After all, it would not be the first time that her family's caravan came across someone crossing from Amestris.

She stopped in her tracks when she was about fifty meters from the sight of two dark, doubled over figures, simply to examine them. Ushio saw Xingese eyes glinting in the blazing sunlight and dingy dark hair hanging to their shoulders. Excitement erupted within her upon the realization that, in fact, there were people there, that her mind had not been playing trips on her.

Ushio glanced over her shoulder, watching the slow moving caravan of horses, their carts, and white cloaked figures follow her. Her family was too far behind to wait for them to keep up, and as much as she hated the fact of approaching strangers, she decided that it was better to help the figures sitting in the dunes as soon as possible. Ushio kicked the burning sand from her silk slippers and proceeded forward, keeping her pale black eyes on the figures.

"Ushio, wait for more help!"

There was no one amongst the caravan that could keep up with her in time, no one that had strong legs like hers. She was young, too young to be crossing the desert, but she was doing it anyway. Ushio kept to herself, to close family, but had a way of proving herself even if she was out of her element. She padded forward across the sand, kicking up heated clouds of dust behind her as she walked.

When she was merely several steps away from the figures, Ushio drew down her white cotton hood. Straggly ebony hair fell past her shoulders to her lower back, dirtied from weeks in the endless sand, and her eyes were momentarily blinded by the harsh sunlight pouring directly into them. She could now clearly see that it was a man and a woman, the woman was being forced to drag a limp body along helplessly through the sand. On the stranger's back was a heavy-looking bag, lumps jutting out along the sides.

"You're a trader," said the woman breathily. It sounded as though she was having difficulty simply forcing the words out of her mouth. Ushio was not quick to judge very often, but it was clear that the woman was having trouble because she chose to cross back to Xing wearing all black. She kept a straight face, nodding in reply.

"We are going to Amestris," explained Ushio, "where our business is. We would be happy to take you back with us; it is only a several day journey from here." She assumed that the woman had just left Amestris, but it was the closest way to emit her to any sort of medical treatment. The best the caravan could offer her was water and a small bowl of rice.

The woman lifted her head to the sun, lighting her wide, tired black eyes, as she pulled the man around to sit at her feet. She bent over him, casting a small shadow over his head. Ushio could see she was trying her best to keep him out of the sun. "No," warned the woman sharply, drawing in a deep breath. "Amestris is not safe at the moment, their capital is in ruins. You must head back."

Ushio felt it would be wrong to protest, to tell her that they had been traveling for two weeks and had no intentions of simply turning around. Instead, she offered her hand to the young woman. "Let me carry him for you," she offered gently. "You go ahead and get water for yourself." Ushio glanced at the group that had stopped meters behind her. "They will be happy to help you, I promise."

"No!" gasped the woman, wrapping her arms loosely around the man's unconscious shoulders. "It is my job to protect the young lord! I must do it. I must save him."

"Take some time for yourself," insisted Ushio. "Drink water and return to him when you are in health again. He will be in good hands, I promise." She took no time to think it strange that the woman had just called her partner 'young lord'. She pried the woman's hands away from the man's torso, causing him to slump into the dust. "Please."

With her chin tucked into her chest and her dark hair hanging around her face, the woman trudged forward, dragging her feet in the sand as Ushio tried to coax her into following her back to the caravan. Tall posts had been driven into the dunes by several men; an oriental carpet had been draped over it as a makeshift tent. Ushio led the woman to the tent, where one of the men offered to help take her off her hands. She felt guilty that she could not place a name with the man's face, but she supposed that is what she deserved for stowing away at her father's side during her travels.

As she watched the woman have a cold cloth pressed to her forehead, Ushio turned swiftly in the sand back to the unconscious man, her heels dug firmly into the ground. Strands of dark hair fell over one of his eyes, shading more than half of his pale face from the sun. His features were very vaguely familiar to Ushio, and she thought that he was rather handsome as far as boys she had ever seen were. She stepped over his torso, placing her feet on either side of him, and bent over at the waist, trying to slide her hands under his shoulder blades. He was much too heavy for her to lift. Ushio instead took his loose arms by the hands and pulled him upright, wrapping her arm around his back. She was then able to stand up and slowly move across the dunes to the tent where the woman sat, pale and miserable.

When she had returned to the caravan and placed the man in the woman's care, Ushio could see the others setting up tents in the sand for the night. The makeshift tent had been taken down, and the woman now sat in a folding wood chair inside one of the cloth shelters, a cloth placed on her forehead and clutching a cup of water. The man Ushio had helped to the tent was now propped up with his back against the woman's shins, his head resting on her knees.

Other traders were bustling around, busy setting up their own camp for the night. They seemed to act like they had more important things to tend to than a couple of travellers found in the sand, so Ushio was leaning against the front post of their tent alone. Her onyx eyes were locked with the woman's, but neither of them spoke a word. Ushio could not tell if her cheeks were warming because of the sun or because she was nervous, but her heart was beating rapidly within her chest, telling her that it was most likely she was conscious of her terrible socializing skills.

"Ushio!" her father, Jiang, called over the desert winds. He stood several now-arranged tents away from her, in a white hooded cloak, squinting into the sunlight. Ushio looked up towards her father. "I will watch over your place tonight, look after them. We should make it to Amestris by tomorrow evening."

Ushio nodded vigorously, her motion over-animated to be seen from a distance. Her head snapped back to look at the woman when she heard her rasping voice crackle across the tent:

"You must tell them to turn back. Continuing on to Amestris will not do any of you any good. As I told you, their capital is in ruins and their military is struggling to regain a strong hold on the country." The woman's hands had rested protectively on the man's shoulders again, the cup of water placed in her lap, her dark eyes glinting in the dim lighting. She appeared even weaker in the shade.

She wondered what the woman expected her to do; she had no say in what the others did. She drew the flaps of the tent down, blocking out both the wind and the sunlight. "You are going to have to warn them yourself," informed Ushio, "not to mention introduce yourself since we are going to take care of you until we arrive there."

Ushio realized that she had barely been speaking above a whisper and suddenly became self-conscious of her every movement.

The woman gave a prompt nod in reply. Ushio watched the movement slowly begin to grow subtle, almost until she was nodding because she could not keep her head still. "I will," promised the woman.

They drifted into a silence. Ushio's half-lidded eyes were fixed on the woman curiously, watching her grip the unconscious man's shoulders tightly, protectively. She appeared to worry more about his well-being than her own. Ushio felt she should be filling the awkward stillness with questions, mostly to pull the woman's attention towards herself and her safety but to satisfy Ushio's own curiosity.

"What is your name?" asked Ushio timidly.

The woman glanced up at her. "I am Lan Fan," she murmured, placing her hand over the man's forehead, "guardian of Ling Yao, the future emperor of Xing."

Ushio assumed that was the man she had her arms so possessively. The name was famous, at least around the capital and the trade routes, Ling Yao. He was the prince who travelled to Amestris in search of immortality. She had heard several stories of him, but never imagined a face to go with his name. He was much…prettier than expected.

With another look at the woman's – Lan Fan's – face, Ushio was able to piece together the story. It made sense to her now, why she had been in Amestris but was not a trader of any sort. They were normally the only people that crossed the desert. "How long have you been in the desert?" she inquired.

"A week," answered Lan Fan. "No very much food from the start and no water for three days now." On cue, she lifted the cup off of her lap and to her lips, gulping down the last bits of water.

"We should wake him then," said Ushio, making a small gesture towards the unconscious man. She did not want Lan Fan to think she planned to let them sit there, dehydrated and dying. "Give him something to drink as well and lie him down in an actual bed instead of against your chair."

Lan Fan agreed, "Of course" and proceeded to do just that. She shook him gently by his shoulders and his arms, trying to bring him around. Ushio could have sworn that she saw his head begin to bob, a sure sign that he was coming to. His dark eyes fluttered open, and once they were, it was hard to tell that they were open at all.

A muffled groan slipped through his slightly parted lips, "Food…"

Ushio held back a giggle as she backed toward the front of the tent, using the plan of fetching him a glass of water as an excuse to leave them alone.

"My young lord," Lan Fan gasped, relieved. She held her palm over his forehead again, holding his head back in her lap.

"I will be right back," said Ushio, ducking for the door.

"He is delirious," muttered Lan Fan. "He will need a doctor. Get someone in here!" She continued to ramble on, thanking the heavens that he was well enough to speak but that he was on the brink of death and the sort. "I am here, I am right here."

Dark irises settled upon Ushio, causing her to freeze in her tracks. The prince's eyes appeared closed, but the tiniest glint of light was reflected back at her. "Beautiful…"

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><p><strong>XxDaydreamxSyndromexX was happy with it, and so am I. All I need now is the feedback of my readers, so please review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Where Ushio stumbles through a very awkward night.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>Night had fallen over the caravan's camp, the sky navy and scattered with twinkling stars. A crisp wind cooled the desert sand, causing the temperature to drop at least twenty degrees. When the sun had set was about the time that someone came in to check on Lan Fan and Prince Ling – Ushio's father, Jiang, returned to their tent with enough water to last the three of them a week, stacked bowls of rice, and sleeping mats.<p>

The sleeping mats were laid out in a row, a bowl of rice placed on each of them, and the water used to refill the cups each of them already had. Ushio had not moved from her spot in the corner of the tent as she watched her father set the room up for them, she had not offered to help Ling, and she had not said anything to Lan Fan, the unconscious prince, or her father.

It took several minutes of convincing Lan Fan to release Ling from her arms, to give him into the care of someone with medical experience – even though she had been the one to request another's help in the first place. Ushio wanted to tell her to just give up, to worry about herself for the night, and let her father look after Prince Ling for a couple hours. The only thing that kept her from doing so was fear she would not be able to explain that correctly, she had trouble with words and Lan Fan would most likely assume she was being protective of Ling when she should not be.

Ling was laid down on the mat towards the back of the tent, a thin cotton blanket draped over him from his waist down. Every minute or so, Jiang poured a small sip of water down his throat. A cold cloth was pressed against his forehead, and after several minutes of drinking water, Ling broke into a coughing fit. Lan Fan's eyes grew wide and watery, sparkling with a sense of relief. Ushio was simply glad that he was showing signs of coming to; he passed out quickly after trying to speak hours ago. From there, Jiang deemed that he was to be confined to bed rest until morning and that there was not much they could do for him until they exited the desert.

"You have to tell them to turn around," murmured Ushio quietly, reaching up to grab her father's arm as he pulled back the tent flap. "They have said we should not go to Amestris."

Jiang gave her a questioning look. "What does that mean?" he asked. "We spent two weeks to get to this point; I cannot tell everyone else that we must turn back now."

"You must," breathed Lan Fan from her seat beside Ling. She had dropped to her knees to watch over him, her dark hair shading most of his pale face. "They are in a state of panic."

The older Xingese man's eyes darkened. "I suppose we will have to then," he sighed, no questions asked. Jiang already knew in a sense that Amestris was not doing well, their military was far beyond corrupt and they were overcoming a civil war. Hearing that it was crumbling before them was not very surprising. With that, he slipped out of the tent.

Ushio watched as Lan Fan began stroking Ling's face with the cloth, her other hand pushing his inky hair out of his eyes. Even in the dark tent, she could tell that there was something different about Lan Fan's arm; one of her hands was constructed with metal. Her previous trips to Amestris saved Ushio from having to ask what it was, automail – a type of prosthetic that connected to your nerves. She thought she looked naïve when she asked questions, which was something she tried to avoid at all costs.

Lan Fan then picked up the small bowl of rice that had been brought in for him. She struggled to position the chopsticks correctly, and was hardly able to keep her hand steady as she tried to feed Ling. Ushio felt she should be doing something to help, stronger now than before. She stepped over the sleeping mats and extended her hand, offering to take the bowl from Lan Fan.

"Again," she whispered, finding that was about as loud as she could make her voice, "you need to worry about yourself. I can take care of him for the night." What Ushio meant was that she could look after Ling until Lan Fan was healed, but she felt that was going to cause unneeded worry.

"Lan Fan," slurred Ling, his eyes fluttering open. "Food…"

"Yes, my lord," the woman breathed. Ushio retracted her hand as Lan Fan began to scoop rice from the bowl again, attempting to put the food in Ling's mouth without spilling it. Her hand trembled and grains of white rice seemed to land everywhere on the lower half of his face aside from his mouth. Ling's eyes closed weakly. Lan Fan stared at him for a moment, as if she did not know what to do.

"Let me feed him," insisted Ushio, reaching out again. "Try to eat something yourself, or at least drink."

Lan Fan froze. It was clear that she had no argument. Finally, she said, "But I must look after the young lord. It is my duty, not yours." Her voice was soft and raspy.

Ushio had learned many things about the woman in several hours; one of her most prominent characteristics was that she was very driven, very stubborn. She did not plan to let that fact stand in her way, however, she was set on the idea that she was going to do something to help Prince Ling while Lan Fan took care of herself. "I understand," said Ushio. "But you are straining yourself just to sit upright, I can see that. You need to take a break."

Lan Fan's head dropped, her chin tucking in against the base of her throat. She closed her eyes and her shoulders began quivering. Ushio listened as the woman's breathing grew shallow and watched tears swelled along the rim of her eyes. She saw Lan Fan as a strong person, maybe realizing that she had to abandon her duty for a night was her breaking point.

When the guardian woman began sobbing, Ushio knew that it was far past her breaking point. She was just as delirious as the prince. Lan Fan could no longer hide it.

Ushio slowly took the bowl of rice from Lan Fan's hands and knelt beside Ling. She gently brushed the scattered grains from his cheeks and jaw, trying her best not to blush as she did so. Being so shy her entire life meant being sheltered from boys, she only remembered ever talking to a select few before she joined her father's caravan. The fact that Ling was handsome did not help, either. Ushio redirected her eyes as she forced his lips apart and began to set clumps of rice on his tongue. What surprised her most was that he actually chewed the rice before swallowing; Ushio had not realized he had that much energy.

"Where is Lan Fan?" asked Ling, his charcoal eyes fixed on Ushio's face. She was avoiding making eye contact with him; she was embarrassed by her reddening cheeks as it was.

"I am right here, my lord," Lan Fan assured, placing a hand on his forehead. She had finally refilled her cup of water.

The prince gulped. Ushio set another clump of rice in his mouth. "Thank you," Ling sighed in between chews, his mouth stuffed with food. He gulped, opening his mouth wide for another bite.

Ushio smiled, amused. She skillfully stirred the rice around in the bowl, sticking it together so it was easier to pick up with the chopsticks. She placed the wad on Ling's tongue. His lips spread into a gleeful smile as he chewed, his squinty eyes locked on Ushio's face.

"Thank you," repeated the prince.

"Don't thank me," insisted Ushio, dishing out the last of the rice into his mouth. "You don't even know me."

Ling's tense body relaxed, as if he was sinking against the sleeping mat. "I know you fed me," he grinned. "What's your name?"

"Ushio Han. I found Lan Fan holding you unconscious in the desert and now you are staying with my family's caravan. We are returning to Xing with you." Ushio turned away from him, placing the empty bowl and chopsticks on the floor beside the edge of the mat.

"I am Ling Yao, twelfth son–"

"I know who you are," muttered Ushio, glancing at Lan Fan. The woman was gulping down a cup of water; a half-empty pitcher sat at the front leg of her chair. "Lan Fan told me." She immediately felt like she was treating him too casually, like she was not recognizing that he was a higher being than she was. The Han clan was not very important when it came to Xing's emperor, aside from its trade routes. Ushio was definitely not royalty, either, even if she spent several of her early years in the palace. "Your highness," she added promptly.

Ling's eyes slid shut. Ushio's blush deepened; she could not handle talking to someone so attractive. His lips began moving, Ushio was so caught up in herself that she almost missed what he was saying. "You saved my life, I don't need the formalities."

Ushio nodded, knowing that it would be inappropriate for her to disagree with him. Her eyes flickered up towards Lan Fan, who had moved on to eating one of the remaining bowls of rice. Suddenly, Ushio felt stuck. She did not know what else she could do for the prince. She wanted to ask Lan Fan, but that would trail back to her fear of appearing naïve. Ushio knew that she could care for him well, if only she had instruction.

Ling rocked back and forth on his shoulders, his torso tense as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows. Ushio slid an arm under him, his sharp shoulder blades digging into her forearm. She gently brought him to sit upright.

"Lay him back down," chastised Lan Fan sharply, spitting out her words. Ushio turned to the woman wide-eyed, carefully lying Ling back against the sleeping mat.

Ushio sat quietly at the prince's side, avoiding looking at his face by whatever means necessary. She began twisting her fingers around strands of her ebony hair, which had grown to reach her lower back, in order to keep herself distracted. That aside, she did not show the usual signs of being nervous; Ushio was not biting her lip or twiddling her thumbs. She glanced up at Lan Fan, silently asking what else she could do for them. She did not want to simply sit, doing nothing, when there had to be a thousand different things she could help with.

Lan Fan's dark eyes flashed as they looked up from the bowl cupped in her hands, catching Ushio's eye. "Let him sleep," she ordered. "We are going to be up and moving in the morning."

"Are you sure it is alright for him to do that?" asked Ushio, glancing down a Ling.

Lan Fan masked a scowl as she observed an unmistakable gleam of worry in the girl's eyes. "Yes, I am positive," she nodded. "I don't think we can afford to sit still."

She tensed, the sharp tone in the woman's voice slicing her to the core. "Alright…" Ushio decided it best not to protest; who was she to tell Lan Fan what she could and could not do? Ling was out of the question as well, considering that she knew nothing about him. She already had a sense of attachment to him, but it was not in his best interest. Lan Fan was.

"You do know that you will have to continue travelling with us, though," Ushio reminded her quietly. "You won't be able to make it without food and water."

"We have to return as soon as possible, I don't know if a caravan is fast enough to keep up with our pace. The young lord has been called to the palace."

Ushio nodded, understanding. Being called to the palace was almost unheard of, so naturally he would want to rush. She believed that was how her mother was, too, since she had been working for royalty since Ushio had been born. Ling was different; however, he was sick and dehydrated. "He will be fine with his condition?"

"I believe so." Lan Fan sighed, breaking off the conversation.

Ushio felt torn. She knew she should have no feelings for the prince, she knew she should not care as much as she did. She wanted to keep him under her own care until she was sure she could feed himself, let alone cross the desert. But Lan Fan knew best, she had known him longer; she cared for him on a much deeper level than Ushio ever would. Ushio dismissed what she was feeling as some sort of deep-rooted maternal instinct, yet to be released otherwise; Ling was just an excuse to do so.

She glanced at the prince's sleeping face. It was surprising that she was amazed by his inability to keep his eyes open. Ushio shifted, pulling her legs out from under her. As she did so, Ling moved unconsciously, mirroring her movements almost identically. The only difference was that when he finally rested, his arm was draped around Ushio's waist and his head was resting on her lap.

Ushio stared down in shock, but found she was unable to move him.

"Let me care for him," snapped Lan Fan, falling onto the floor beside Ushio. Hastily, she pried the prince's arms from around the girl and pulled him to lean against herself.

Her personality was very unstable at the moment, Ushio observed. The girl scooted away quickly. "I'm sorry," she apologized under her breath, her eyes fixed at the floor.

Ushio remained in the same position, staring at Lan Fan cradling Ling like a baby, for what seemed like hours. She knew that time could not possibly be passing that fast, but it was unbelievable that her eyes had begun to droop and her shoulders hunch over sleepily. Having ended up crawling onto her own sleeping mat, she was soon falling asleep. It was just as her eyes slid closed for what would have been the final time that Ling's voice caused her eyes to snap open.

"Lan Fan, there was no need to be harsh with her," said the prince, his voice slurring in sleep. "She was trying to help you as well."

"But…my young lord, it is my duty to look after you."

"I know that. Ushio knows that. That doesn't affect the fact that she means well."

Lan Fan paused, as if having trouble thinking of the words she could string together in reply. "I want you to be safe. You have to remember the fate of Xing is on the line, they need you."

"Of course they do," Ling agreed. "But travelling with the caravan back to the palace is not going to work against that."

"You are saying that we should continue with them through the desert?" asked the woman.

"Why not?" sighed the prince. "I just hope that Ushio did not take how you have been acting towards her too personally. I assume that it will be the three of us staying together for a while, so it's best if you two are on decent terms. Besides, I think I may need someone like her by my side."

Lan Fan hesitated. "Excuse me, my lord…?"

Ushio could nearly hear Ling smiling. "Take that any way you will."

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><p><strong>That…actually did not turn out terribly. I am a little bit shocked with myself. I have a long, important chapter planned so I hope that people are willing to stick around for it. But anyways, I would like to thank everyone who is reading this story, especially the reviewers. The response I received for the first chapter blew me out of the water! (Let's see that again, hm?)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Where Ushio grows a bit heartbroken, though she does not know it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>Ushio thought it was incredibly unfair her body was able to take a break but her mind was just kicking into full-gear. She was trying to dull her thoughts as she fell asleep, to keep anything of interest to her at an arm's length away. Clutching the blanket tightly around her shoulders, she twisted to face the side of the tent away from Ling and Lan Fan. It was not helping that they continued to talk, seeing as they believed she was asleep.<p>

The worst of it was that even though his voice died out eventually, Ling's face was engraved in Ushio's mind. She could picture him too easily after knowing him simply for the evening; his pale, unhealthy-looking face, his dark hair, and squinty eyes that she had never seen anything like. Ushio was anxiously drumming her fingers against her sleeping mat, which she knew was not helping her insomnia at all, waiting for him to fade from her mind. She could admit that he was handsome, at least she could to herself, but he was not so terribly good looking that she should not be able to fall asleep because she was thinking of him.

Not soon enough, her mind did eventually wear itself out. Although Ushio slipped into a light slumber, her dreams were conveniently focused on a single subject – even if she did not realize it immediately.

_She sat in the corner of a room, cross-legged on the floor, watching a woman stand around a mannequin and sticking pins into it to keep fabric up. Three of the four walls were lined with shelves of luxurious silks and cabinets filled with drawers of gemstones, ribbons, and lace to be sewn on. An open balcony welcomed cheerful sunlight into the quarters, along with a cool breeze that swept through. Ushio knew this place to be her mother's office, where she worked as the palace seamstress._

_Her eyes were fixed on the courtyard below the balcony, a large grassy area lined with shrubs and colorful flowers. She felt the overwhelming longing to be outside, and subconsciously knew that it only had to do with being in a dream. Ushio glanced over her shoulder at her mother, who was working diligently to finish a set of crimson robes._

_The woman caught her daughter's gaze. "Don't even think about going outside, Ushio," warned her mother. "I told you to stay inside today. You need to be mommy's little helper."_

_That fact that she had now been told not to do it made going outside all the more appealing. Ushio crawled on her knees onto the balcony, resting back just before she had come to the stone railings. She could now see that there were two others in the courtyard below, one entirely in black and the other in light, baggy clothing. They had to be several years older than her age of ten, based simply off of their appearance. She leaned closer to the edge of the balcony, sticking her nose out between the railings as she peered over. The two were throwing kicks at each other quickly, without worry of hurting the other person._

_A cool gust of wind washed over her skin, sweeping her dark hair over her shoulders. She felt like she was being doused with water, instantly refreshed. Ushio's desire to be outside grew immensely. Instead of asking her mother, she scooted closer to the courtyard below. Even with the sun's intense glare in her eyes, she was captivated by watching the two figures fight. Ushio was fed up with sitting around a seamstress's office all day; she wanted to be able to go outside whenever she wanted and to be as agile as the pair she was watching spar, or at least have some athletic bone in her body._

_She wrapped her fingers tighter around the stone column hoisting the railing, sighing. Ushio watched with anticipation to see the winner of the match with wide eyes. From her perspective, neither of the two appeared to have the upper hand. The figure dressed in black was clearly the one throwing the attacks, but the baggy clothing would easily block them and return swiftly. To her amazement, the one in baggy clothes simply fell back onto the grass with a laugh, clutching his sides._

_Confused, both Ushio and the figure in black stared at the young boy, waiting for something to happen._

"_Ushio," said her mother behind her, rather impatiently, "will you please go to the cupboard there and get me the swatches of azure and indigo fabric? I need to see which look better as lining for these robes…"_

_She did as she was told and enthusiastically leapt to her feet. Ushio scurried to the cupboard placed beside the door, pulled the doors open and scanned the folded piles of fabric for the colors her mother was asking for. It was difficult to distinguish which shades were needed; all she could see was simply blue. Finally, she grabbed two swatches of fabric out of the middle of the piles and gave them to her mother._

"_Thank you," murmured the woman – she was holding pins in the corner of her mouth – just as Ushio turned away, moving towards the balcony. The two figures were no longer there and Ushio found she was disappointed._

When she awoke, it took Ushio a moment to remember the fact that she had even had a dream. Sunlight glared at her through the flap of the tent and she could hear the other members of the caravan already beginning to pack their things for the journey back to Xing. She rolled onto her side, checking if the two behind her were sleeping or not. Lan Fan had crawled onto the sleeping mat laid out for her sometime during the night, though Ling had somehow stayed cradled on her lap. When she looked at them, she suddenly saw the faces of the two others in the courtyard that day – only older.

It was a tad overwhelming for her to realize that she had, in fact, known the two before – she was now certain that it had been them in her dream. Ushio had met many strangers and seen many faces during the time when she lived with her mother at the palace, while she only remembered a small percent of them. Ling and Lan Fan had a decent chance of being in the portion she did not remember, considering that he was royalty.

Ushio threw back the blanket she had draped over herself and crawled towards the exit of the tent. Just as she was about to draw back the flap, she heard the shifting of weight on sand behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, watching the woman toss in her sleep; she was waiting to be certain she was still asleep.

"Mmph!" cried Lan Fan, her lips firmly pressed into a firm line. With closed eyes, she still appeared to be cringing away from something. Quickly her flesh hand flew to her opposite shoulder, gripping it in pain. It struck Ushio that the woman's other arm was a prosthetic.

The girl rushed over and dropped to her knees beside Lan Fan. As soon as she hit the ground, the woman's dark eyes flew open. "How do you take care of your automail?" whispered Ushio, wary of the sleeping prince sprawled across the floor next to them.

"It needs…to be…oiled." The woman's exhausted voice was nearly painful for Ushio to listen to.

"That's it?" asked Ushio, unable that was the only thing that could be done. Then again, some of the most complex problems have been known to have some of the simplest answers.

Lan Fan shook her head weakly. "The heat is not helping, either."

"We should probably bring you out of this stuffy tent, then," Ushio decided. "There has to be oil kept somewhere around here and the fresh air will hopefully help the heat. It's still morning so let's hope there is a breeze." She stared down at the woman's paling face with concern. "Do you think you will be able to walk across the sand?"

Lan Fan nodded, strands of straggly dark hair falling over her eyes. "Easily," she confirmed with a huff.

Ushio was able to slide her arm around Lan Fan's shoulder blades and assist her to stand up. She helped the woman out into the blaring heat of the desert, a cool breeze soon sweeping across the sand. As she assisted the woman towards her father's station where he kept emergency medical supplies, Ushio could not help but wonder why and how Lan Fan was equipped with her automail.

Meanwhile, a certain snoozing prince unconsciously noticed that his guardian was no longer beside him. Ling's eyes fluttered open. He stared at the pile of blankets and blatantly slept-on mats next to his. He wondered where the two could have gone, but shrugged off the question as he watched Ushio duck into the tent. Ling closed his eyes again, sighing.

"What's wrong?" asked Ushio quickly, concern flaring in her dark eyes.

Ling grunted, shaking his head. "What happened to Lan Fan?" he returned.

"She was having automail troubles," the young girl replied. "My father is helping her oil it and…fix whatever else needs to be fixed."

"A good man," approved the prince quietly. Ushio could not tell if he was being serious or simply complimenting him. "I am a tad surprised that you even know what automail is."

Ushio could understand that. She had tried explaining the amazing invention that was automail to her mother after her first journey to Amestris and found that the woman had absolutely no clue as to what her daughter was blabbering on about; almost no one in Xing knew what it was. "My first trip to Amestris was to Central," she began explaining, "and I remember seeing many, many people with the prosthetics. The second day I was there I had my father stop someone on the street to give me a full lecture on it."

Ling nodded subtly. "That seems rather daring of you."

Instead of asking how he was able to judge her so quickly, she merely nodded her head. Ushio knew she was less than outgoing. "I was fascinated," she shrugged.

For the first time that morning, her eyes began to wander towards him. Ling's face was regaining color faster than she had expected and his body – based on posture – was definitely appearing healthier. Ushio thought that perhaps he was not in as much pain, or his long sleep returned scant amounts of energy back to him. She was glad that he was at least looking better. Even the prince's eyes were livelier.

"Why did Lan Fan need automail?" asked Ushio, attempting to distract herself.

Light faded from Ling's squinty eyes. "She was protecting me." Suddenly, Ushio found herself blushing and embarrassed – she was his guardian, of course that would be the reason. It was a stupid question. She glanced away from him. "Don't look like that," said Ling, drawing her attention back. "She did what she needed to. It was either her limb or both of our lives."

Sliver-like eyes darted across the canvas roof above them. Ling felt something rising in the back of his throat. He glanced over at Ushio, her expression was like one he had only ever seen on the face of May Chang. Gulping, he looked up at the top of the tent again. "I still find myself trying to repay her for what she did."

"Anyone would." Ushio's dark eyes were gleaming. She did not know what else she could say to him. Realizing that she did not have any complete information from him, Ushio wanted to ask him more questions. She bit back on her lip, avoiding doing so.

"Do I have permission to ask you an awkward question now?" Ling grinned, turning towards her.

She could almost feel the intensity of his smile burning into her, it was almost painful. "I suppose…" Ushio had honestly not expected him to say that.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked. At first, Ushio thought that he was talking about her caring for him and Lan Fan after finding them in the desert. "Why would a fourteen-year-old girl sign up to cross the desert every other week? That seems set to the extreme, if you ask me."

"Fifteen," murmured Ushio under her breath. Correcting him was merely a reaction. She cleared her throat. "I mean, I travel because…I don't know."

Ling uttered a half-hearted laugh. "You have to know. That's a big decision, if you ask me."

Ushio stopped to think. The memory of the dream crashed into her, nearly knocking the wind out of her. It was clear that it meant something to her, not to mention it reminded her of many things. "When I spend time in Xing, I live with my mother," she said. "She usually keeps me indoors. I think I started travelling because I wanted to be outside."

"Something that simple convinced you to turn your life down this path?" he asked, shocked, with his eyes widened.

"I didn't think it was simple…" Ushio glanced away from him. She scolded herself, knowing that was one of the reasons why she tried to avoid talking to other people. She did not want to open up to someone only to have her opinion judged.

Ling turned away to her, hiding a smile. He had not meant to offend her, but found it slightly amusing once he had. "I apologize; does that make you feel any better?"

To Ushio, it sounded much like sarcasm. Something was swelling in her gut, telling her that she was going to start pouring tears if she did not stop taking him so seriously all of the time. It was merely forewarning to her, but she still felt like crying.

She managed to sit through a silence without sobbing and was positive that he was asleep again, Ushio muttered, "No, it doesn't."

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><p><strong>I tried to show Ling's serious side in this chapter, and I don't think I nailed it at all. Hopefully I will be able to keep him in character as the story progresses, so bear with me!<strong>

**Also, there were several deeper meanings to Ushio's dream that were not stated outright. I hope you will be able to realize what they are and refer back to them when they come into play late. (I was actually very proud of myself for fitting in everything that I did!)**

**FMA plushies to anyone who reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Where there is an official apology.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>"<em>I am going to cling to his words<em>," thought Ushio. "_I am never going to forget his tone. He was rude."_

Her feet sank into the ground as she walked. Grains of burning sand had found their way into her slippers and stuck to the soles of her feet. Ushio cringed at the feeling, at the pain. She knew it would be easier to leave the sand there and wait for them to grow cold instead of toppling over into the sand on one foot trying to shake it out of her shoes. Digging her feet out, she trudged forward without a word.

Stumbling, her hood-shaded cheeks flared red of embarrassment. Ushio glanced up at Ling and Lan Fan, who were trailing several feet behind the end of the caravan, to see if they were having the same troubles. She thought it unfair that they had such ease hopping over the sand on their toes; she had never been coordinated or graceful enough to do that.

Her thoughts returned to the prince. "_I don't even care if he had no idea what he was talking about. If he is still delirious from heat, that's his own fault! He was rude! Rude, rude, rude_–" Ushio stole a look at the back of Ling's head again, glaring. Somehow, that ended her thoughts to end in: "_But he deserves a second chance, right?"_

"At this speed, we will not reach the palace for another week. What do you suggest, young lord?" Lan Fan asked, her voice faded as it was carried with the wind to Ushio's ears.

"What is there to suggest? How could we get there any differently?" said Ling. He was several steps in front of Lan Fan, as if he was leading her. "We are going to tell them the entire story, anyway. That gives us a perfect explanation. Beside, who told them when we were going to be back?"

Lan Fan looked to him as if she were going to respond, but kept her lips pressed together in a firm line.

Ushio could not stop herself before she wondered what his entire story was. "Where were you in Amestris?" she asked, bouncing forwards several steps so she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Lan Fan. She attempted to keep her tone of voice serious, since she was still angry with them, but unable to contain her curiosity.

"Central," answered Lan Fan. It registered in Ushio's head at the capital. "And various other places, but mostly in that area."

"The heart of the country," mused Ushio. "That must have been interesting."

"Interesting as hell," spat Ling. Ushio could not tell if his tone was positive or negative. She glanced to Lan Fan, as if she was going to tell her what the prince had meant. When given not even a look in her direction, Ushio decided it did not matter and she should simply stay angry with the stranger.

Ushio sucked in a deep breath of hot desert air, as if that stood for gathering her courage. Her mouth was open for several awkward seconds before she uttered her words, "I would appreciate if you would not speak like that."

Both Ling and Lan Fan gazed over their shoulders at her. While the comment was directed towards the prince, Lan Fan was the one who appeared to be offended.

"I only mean that I would like for you, Ling, to say what you mean," she clarified. "I don't want to have to decipher every little comment you make." Ushio ended with a gulp.

Ling nodded promptly. "I will do so, then." From there, they carried on without a word.

"_Could that have been why I was so offended by him this morning?_" wondered Ushio. Now that she had considered it, it did seem plausible that he could have simply said something he did not mean – that being in the sense that he used a bad choice of words. "Thank you," she told him.

"You have exceptional manners, you know," noted Ling. "Especially since anyone else that I know would have been rather rude about making that comment." He spun on his heels to begin walking backwards, looking towards Lan Fan. "She reminds you of Al in that sense, doesn't she?"

"She does," confirmed the woman. Ushio thought back on herself, how old was Lan Fan really? Now _that _would be rude of her to ask.

"Who?" asked Ushio. Upon asking, she realized that she really did have trouble not asking questions once they entered her mind.

"Alphonse Elric," answered Ling, who was happily continuing to walk backwards.

"Amestrians have strange names," she observed, looking to her feet, mostly muttering to herself. She did not particularly think so, especially since that she had heard Amestrian names before. Ushio was mostly distracting herself from looking at Ling.

The trio was kicking up puffs of dust behind them as they walked. Ushio could feel more grains of sand slipping into her shoes. With the stabbing heat of the sand nipping at her soles, she felt as though that she could count each individual grain. It was somehow not enough to keep her from glancing up at Ling every several moments. The intervals soon shortened to seconds and Ushio felt as if she was desperate for something.

Beams of sunlight gleamed off of Lan Fan's automail, reflecting into Ushio's eyes. She squinted, turning her head in the opposite direction.

"You don't have to keep glaring at me, Ushio."

Her eyes widened, fixing themselves on Ling's face. "W-what?" she stammered.

"I realize that I was very rude to you," Ling admitted, his squinty eyes abnormally wide. Ushio could see his irises; they were a pale black color, but not quite gray. The appearance of his face, which was more serious than she could have previously imagined him being, was in deep contrast with the rest of him as he continued skillfully on his toes to walk backwards. "I understand."

It was not the apology that she was searching for, but she was going to accept it. "Thank you?" Ushio hoped that had not sounded too much like a question; she had not meant it as one.

"Lan Fan," addressed Ling, swiveling back on his heels to face the front. "I'm hungry."

Ushio was thrown off guard by his change in attitude, but was grateful that their terribly awkward conversation would not have to carry on any longer. "I can find him something," she offered to Lan Fan. "You can stay with him." She scurried in front of Ling, stepping cautiously atop the sand towards the front of the caravan.

"I believe you said that you needed someone like her by your side," reminded Lan Fan, her eyes gleaming beneath her dark hood.

"I did, didn't I?" asked Ling lightly, staring off into the desert horizons. He paused before continuing. "You don't need to tell me anything, Lan Fan. Whether it is Ushio or a stranger, I need to watch my mouth. …Around you, especially."

The woman nodded promptly. When the prince needed to, she knew that he could see reason without her having to tell him. Lan Fan waited silently for Ushio to return.

"How is your automail?"

Lan Fan glanced from her prosthetic arm to Ling's face. His eyes were again abnormally wide, giving his otherwise innocent question depth. She knew what he was really asking.

"Fine," she answered, her eyes flashing. As if he needed to see for himself to believe her, she slipped her fingers under a stretch of plating on her forearm and gently pulled a small glass vile out into the sunlight. Crimson liquid sloshed around within the container, shimmering in the light. Ling nodded, giving her acknowledgement to put it away again.

Ushio darted quickly across the sand towards Ling and Lan Fan, a burning bowl of rice cupped in her hands. She had already noticed how much he ate – or how much he loved food. She extended her arms to Ling, offering the bowl politely, her head ducked to the ground. When she looked up, she could see the deep thought fading from two pairs of dark eyes.

"Thank you, Ushio!" Ling praised, a silly smile smacked across his thin lips.

It amazed her that he had such sudden changes in attitude so often. "You're welcome," murmured Ushio.

Chopsticks were quickly shoveling rice into his mouth, as if they were acting on their own. Ling's smile did not fade from his mouth until he had finished eating, and even then lingered for several more moments. She liked to see him smiling, even if she had convinced herself to stay angry with him.

"You deserve great thanks for what you did, Ushio," Ling announced. At first, she thought he was talking about the food. Then, she realized he meant to thank her for saving him and Lan Fan from the heat. "I would like to invite you to the palace with me for a night, as some form of repaying you."

Once again, she found herself thrown off guard. What was she supposed to say to that? Ushio would have to stay there with her mother anyway. She could always visit him, since she did not know if she was up for a night with a prince who had no control over his words. "Alright…"

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><p><strong>After entirely screwing up the previous chapter, there were several things I had to cover in this one. Now that those things had been cleared up, everyone can strictly stay in character again! (Excuse me for the OOC-ness. It is rather hard with Ling…)<strong>

**Another note, it is almost laughable how similar this story is to Unofficial Appointments. So far, it has had several of the key points strung out as a plotline. But I promise from here on, there will be no more similarities. None!**

**Readers are loved, reviews are very much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Where Ushio learns what Lan Fan has been carrying around and wakes to a pleasant surprise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>With intentions of rising early to travel through the day the next morning, the caravan pitched their tents early that evening in hopes for everyone to get enough rest. Ushio insisted on doing all of the work, that it would be too much of a strain on both Lan Fan and Ling. The prince, however, had not been able to swallow his pride and let her do it alone.<p>

"There," announced Ling, throwing his head back in the golden evening sunlight. Ushio could not help but stare at him. She felt that he had not pitched the tent because he wanted to help; he did it because it was an excuse to take his shirt off. Prying her eyes away from his bare chest, her eyes darted to the shapeless black object lying in the sand beside his feet – his shirt. "All finished."

Ushio forced herself to smile. "Great," she muttered, watching as Ling drew back the tent flap to help Lan Fan inside. Despite her original thoughts, it was Lan Fan who was in the weaker state. The woman was easily exhausted after walking by herself in the sun, yet to start recovering.

Following them inside, Ushio was very much relieved when she felt a distinct temperature drop. A cool breeze would have been lovely, but being out of the harsh sun was still nice. She could see that Lan Fan was also enjoying it, simply by the change in her expression. The woman was already sitting cross-legged on the floor, cradling a heavy black bag in her lap. Her back was hunched over in a terribly uncomfortable way as she watched Ling spread out the sleeping mats. Ushio extended a hand towards Ling, her eyes remaining on Lan Fan.

"Let me do that," she insisted. "You have done more than enough." Ushio's dark eyes gleamed as she stole a quick glance at the prince's face.

"So have you," Ling reminded her, meeting her eyes. "You need to take a break, Ushio."

She appreciated his words, but could not allow them to sink in. Instead of resting, she dropped to her knees beside Lan Fan, her hands folded in her lap. If she could not argue with Ling, she could look after Lan Fan. "You need to sleep," said Ushio. "You have been putting too much strain on yourself."

"I can't," protested Lan Fan. "There is too much for me to look after."

"A few hours can't hurt you, I promise." Ushio reached out, trying to slip her fingers around the large bag sitting in her lap. Lan Fan scooted away from her, black eyes spinning. "Please, Lan Fan?"

"I am not tired, Ushio," snapped Lan Fan, her voice loosing most of its power to her weakening body. Ushio still stood by the fact that the woman needed sleep; it was now clearly evident in her fierce eyes. "I am not going to spend time so selfishly that I would only be helping myself."

"There is nothing selfish about it when you're as sick as you are!" exclaimed Ushio, raising her voice. She thought better of calling Lan Fan weak, especially since she was certain the woman could take her down easily whether she was in good health or not. "If you took the weight of carrying that heavy bag off and worried about yourself rather than Ling for two seconds, you would not be suffering."

She bent forwards, wrapping her arms protectively around the bag. "It is my duty to look after this, just like it is my duty to look after Ling," Lan Fan spat, sniffing.

Instinctively, Ushio glanced around the tent, her eyes scanning desperately until she found Ling. When she found him, he did not give her any sort of reassurance. She could not argue with Lan Fan, so she had no idea what she really wanted to hear from the prince anyway. She understood the woman's strong sense of loyalty and duty, or at least she thought she did. Ushio only wished that she felt so strongly for someone.

"Lan Fan," murmured Ling, his voice powerful and ringing with an exceptional amount of authority for how quiet it was. "Just get some rest. I will look after Fu for you."

Ushio's eyes widened in shock. He spoke of the bag like it was a person, which it was about the size of. She stared at the black, lumpy thing, as if expecting it to move. She told herself that her deduction was wrong, but was not able to shake the image of a body being held in there.

Lan Fan carefully moved the bag from her lap, setting on the floor beside her. She slowly lowered herself, resting her hands underneath her head. While it appeared she had turned her back on them to sleep, she stole a glance over her shoulder every so often, as if to check on the prince.

"She is the one I really need to look after," murmured Ling solemnly. He dropped to sit beside Ushio, bringing his knees up against his chest. "She is pushing herself too far."

"I think that much is evident," agreed Ushio.

"I suppose I have to keep an eye on you as well. I am expected to repay you after all of this." He was forcing himself to smile faintly at her. Ushio could see one of his best qualities already, that he felt the need to thank people for the smallest things. That was something to admire, in her mind. "Ushio?"

"Yes?" She drew her eyes away from his lips and to his eyes.

"Taking you back to the palace with me isn't enough, is it?" asked Ling, dark eyes etching scars into Ushio. "I could see it in your eyes when I asked you. You were disappointed. Or do you not want to go at all?"

"Please don't worry about that, Ling. That is more than enough," she assured, running her fingers through her hair nervously. She had meant her words, but was certain it had not sounded like she did. Ushio's voice lost sincerity when she was thinking about something else, and since she was captivated by the way his lips moved when he spoke, she could not have sounded true to her word. She twisted the ends of a dark lock of hair around her finger, her eyes lowered. "In fact, I don't even need to be repaid."

His eyes took the immediate task of informing her otherwise. They were telling a story that his lips could not. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Ushio's words broke free.

"Don't bother arguing with me. I don't want to listen to it."

"Tell me why you looked disappointed then."

She pulled her eyes away, glancing to the knot of her hair wrapped around her index finger. "I am not disappointed," she protested, sounding rather convincing. "I was going to the palace anyway. That is where my mother lives."

Ling appeared to be at a loss for words. His eyes were swimming, searching for the right thing to say. "So then it is not enough," he decided. "I need to do more for you."

"Nothing extreme," Ushio insisted, gathering the expression in his eyes. She did not want special treatment from him, she did not want for him to think of her as a beggar. "But if you want to repay me that badly, just take me out into the courtyard. I have never actually been there."

"Of course." He nodded, his dark bangs falling over his eyes. Ushio could not help herself but think how attractive he looked at the moment. Ling seemed to move away from the conversation at that point, focusing on the black bag that Lan Fan had been carrying around for days now. He pulled it across the tent floor, shoving it behind his back as if to purposely keep it from Ushio's sight.

"Why has Lan Fan been exhausting herself to carry that around?" asked Ushio quietly, her curiosity dominating her better judgement to stay silent. By the glum expression her question brought to Ling's face, she did not know if she wanted to know anymore. "What could you two possibly keep in there?"

Ling stammered. He glanced up at her, meeting her wide eyes. The prince had not realized before how innocent she looked when doing that before. He did not want to answer her; it would most likely scare her. "I don't think I can tell you."

Ushio nodded, pretending as if she understood why. She was not going to pressure her into having him tell her anything, the last thing she wanted was for them to feel awkward around each other. The girl watched the prince's face closely, enthralled by the move of every muscle beneath his skin. Now that health was returning to him, he was much more handsome than she could have imagined. She wished that she could tell him how kind he was, or how attractive he was, but that drew back to not wanting things to grow awkward.

…Was she so worried about thinking he was a beautiful person because he had already deemed her to be so as well…?

Ushio had not thought much of anything Ling said during that first night. He had been more than plenty rude to her, and since she found him to be a decent person when sane, she decided it was best to forget about the whole incident. But it had not occurred to her that the prince had also said that she was beautiful, which was something that only her mother told her when she visited. "Ushio, you are just so beautiful!" she could hear her mother praising as she walked into her office, "You are looking more and more like me with every visit!" To hear it from another being, and since he was unconscious that meant he meant what he said in her mind, was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her.

"Will you…" she began, her eyes darting away from his face, "will you please tell me? Or at least tell me what happened to you in Amestris."

"You are nosy," observed Ling. Ushio blushed faintly. "But I can tell you. I told Edward without knowing him, after all." She did not question him when he paused; she simply waited for him to continue with his story. "I traveled across the desert, mostly to see the ruins of Xerxes, but also to Amestris in search of immortality. I thought that if I found a way to being immortal, it was please the emperor enough to convince him to give me the thrown. Lan Fan and I were thrown the chaos and troubles of their military. We found what we were looking for but stared back to Xing before everything was worked out."

The girl stole a peek at the bag sitting behind Ling. Could that be what they were carrying inside, their answer to immortality? She thought against that, considering the whole story seemed a bit far-fetched. Ushio chose to believe him simply because he was him. "So that's what in there? Is it your answer to immortality?" she asked.

"No, actually," said Ling lowly, his eyes dark. "It is the one we lost during our search."

Her eyes widened in pure surprise. By that…did he mean…there was a body in there? She scooted away, bumping into Lan Fan by mistake. The woman shifted in her sleep, grumbling inaudibly. Ushio's heart nearly stopped in fear. She sat frozen, staring at Ling. She was searching his face for answers.

"He was Lan Fan's grandfather, Fu."

Ushio was thrown off guard entirely. She thought he had seen the look on her face, she thought that he realized she was going to be sick to her stomach by learning any more. The phrase curiosity killed the cat had definitely circled back to slap her in the face. She felt a soreness rising in the back of her throat, along with an eruption of butterflies in her stomach. She bit down on her lip, chewing until it was raw. The mere thought of him carrying a dead body around was sickening, Ushio was just glad that she had not seen it.

"I am sorry," apologized Ling, smiling lightheartedly, "but you were the one who asked."

She could hear herself breathing deeply; hear the air hissing down her throat. Ushio felt panicked, her heart was racing in her chest. She could not move her eyes; they were fixed on the body bag. She remained silent, frozen in place before growing so tired that she had to lie down. The racing of her own heartbeat was enough to lull her to sleep eventually.

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><p>Grayish eyes fluttered open, gazing out sleepily on their surroundings. Her vision was hazy, but she could certainly tell that she was in a different position than she had fallen asleep in. The girl shifted uncomfortably, feeling an irritating crick in her neck. She realized that she was being cradled, held back by a pair of arms wrapped around her loosely. Disoriented, she turned her head up, looking to see who was holding her.<p>

Dark hair brushed against her forehead and nose, tickling her. Ushio was staring at the sleeping face of Prince Ling, whose chin was tucked into the base of his throat. A faint smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth. She was startled, yes, but also pleasantly surprised.

Really, even she was nearly startled to death earlier by him, why wouldn't she love waking up in his arms – for whatever reason?

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><p><strong>WOW! I believe I surprised myself with this chapter. I mean, I have been spending most of my time over watching the new episodes of the FMAB dub and summer gym, so I did not have much time for writing. Yet, I still am able to update earlier than I planned :D<strong>

**I hope that my readers are pleased with this chapter. It is about the time in the story where I really decide to buckle down and take everything seriously, which is really what I did in this chapter. I don't think it is very clear with everything that has gone on, but it did answer several questions. One, Ling and Lan Fan still have Fu's body with them. Two, Ushio is realizing she has a crush on Ling. And three, I have set this chapter up to foreshadow a fluff-scene that will appear later in the story! Another note, a reviewer named SunshineSketch asked about May (she is also something XxDaydreamxSyndromexX and I discussed) and her beloved panda, Xiao Mei. To answer that question, yes, the annoying princess is kicking it in Amestris for a while before returning to Xing.**

**Reviews are loved and very much appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Where Ling rushes things.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>From the morning when Ushio woke in the prince's arms, it took the caravan three days and four nights to reach the Xingese boarder. Ushio had not spent time with anyone aside from Ling and Lan Fan, but was still able to gather their arrival had been rushed. At least a week was expected to pass before they had approached the boarder.<p>

The prince was especially grateful that they reached the country so soon. With better health having returned to him, his reaction to seeing lights flickering on in the distance was no less than ecstatic. He was smiling like Ushio had never seen him smile before, so full of life. With much authority, he pressed the members of the caravan to continue on through the night, in hopes of reaching the capital early. Meanwhile, both Ushio and Lan Fan watched his sudden spurt of energy, amazed and exhausted.

"He is very good at getting others to listen to him," said Lan Fan dully, her normally precise posture and sharp voice weakening. She needed sleep, four hours a night was clearly not enough to help her recover. "And when they do, he always says just enough to convince him to do things his way."

"I suppose he could run into trouble with that," decided Ushio. She wished that Ling, who seemed fairly innocent and open when it came to his intentions, would think things through before opening his mouth. "He could easily convince someone to do something that was not best for them, or was not right."

"He thinks more than you give him credit for," replied Lan Fan swiftly, dark eyes flashing as she marched away.

The younger girl was taken back by this comment; it never crossed her mind that she was underestimating him. She knew that he was better than her on every level, that he could easily beat her at anything – not that he would want to, he did not seem like the type to show off too terribly in front of her. But there was no point in Ushio arguing with Lan Fan now, she was gone.

Upon Ling's insisting, the group traveled straight through the night, stopping only when they reached the first major city on route to the capital. While the caravan set up camp on the outskirts of the city, Ling decided that he wanted to venture into the heart of the city, mostly searching for food. Lan Fan tagged along by default, but it took half an hour for him to convince Ushio to come along.

"I can't go, I have to stay here and help set things up," protested Ushio, despite wanting to go with him. She knew her place, and it was certainly not running around a strange city with a prince she had met a mere six days ago. "It's my duty."

"I thought your duty for the time being was to look after me," Ling reminded her, his eyes gleaming happily at his winning remark. He was desperately holding back a smile, knowing that it would upset her if he boasted winning the argument.

"You are now perfectly well and Lan Fan is more than capable of looking after you, you are her responsibility not mine." Ushio ended her statement with a prompt nod of her head.

Ling could not help but grin. "Your argument has grown weak. Of course Lan Fan will be going. But why not go?" he asked smoothly. "An hour away from dusty tents and horses and people that I have never seen you talk to or take interest in is not going to kill you."

Sincerely, Ushio did not want to lose the argument. Yet, even after coming to terms that she had, she did not want to let it sound like she did. However, she could not think of a single thing to say that would make it look like she came out on top. Instead of sounding victorious, she huffed, "Fine."

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><p>"I don't see why you couldn't just tell your father that you were going out for a bit," noted Ling with a teasing smile. He took his next step slightly to the right, bumping into Ushio's shoulder. "He listened to me perfectly well without any argument."<p>

Ushio's eyes narrowed. "That's because he knows you're royalty," she insisted. "What is he supposed to say when you ask something? No, and offend the entire Xingese monarchy?" She gazed up at him, her eyebrows raised.

Ling chuckled. Once the sound of his laughter faded away, the two were walking with silence between them. Ushio found herself having to fight through bustling crowds along the outdoor shops, mostly because of her size, beside Ling, who was walking so confidently it appeared as if people simply moved out of his way. She tried to keep her shoulders back as she walked, mimicking his posture, but did not have any luck; Ushio had to continue dodging others clumsily.

"How do you know where you are going?" asked Ushio curiously, observing how the prince was acting as if venturing through the strange new city was a mere stroll in the park. As she looked up at him, a string of lanterns strung up above a shop hovered behind his head, creating the illusion of a golden halo around his head. She smiled, amused.

The prince shrugged. "I don't," he answered, words matched with a cliché grin. "I will know where I am going once I see someplace that looks good and then I will let you know."

As if fighting against the masses of people were not hard enough before, ahead were just clumps of people standing around the shop fronts, waiting impatiently. Ushio could hear the complaints and see the grumpy expressions worn. With only several steps taken further, the sweet aroma of cooking food met Ushio's nose. She glanced up at Ling, as if to see what his decision was. The prince was already advancing towards the closest restaurant. Ushio darted on her toes to keep up with him.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ushio could have sworn that she saw a dark figure standing on the restaurant roof, watching the crowds. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly took a half-step behind Ling. It was when the warm light of the paper lanterns hanging along the shop cast glints of light on the figure's face and revealed a black, white, and red mask that Ushio relaxed. It was Lan Fan. She was, however, confused as to why the woman did not just walk with Ling.

Ushio's eye caught on Ling's tapping foot. She glanced up at him, surprised by his glum expression. "Why so impatient?" she asked. "It's only going to be a few minutes of waiting. It's not a big deal." She only realized that he had probably had everything handed to him throughout life after having said that.

The prince shifted his weight between feet, bouncing back and forth swiftly, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm hungry," whined Ling childishly.

She tried not to smile. "Yeah," Ushio agreed, "so am I." She stole a quick glance at Lan Fan again, who was crouched on the roof. "Why doesn't she just come down here?"

"When Lan Fan said that she was not going to eat, I told her that she did not have to come. She insisted of tagging along, but promised she would stay out of the way," explained Ling, stepping closer to the restaurant. He had just slipped around several other people waiting in a clump. "I couldn't really argue with that."

"Oh." Ushio had no idea what else she could say; she had a difficult time forming intelligent sentences around him without a moment to think of them first. However, she hated to let the two of them slip into silence again.

"Here," muttered Ling as he snuck passed another clump of people in front of the restaurant. Ushio did not follow immediately, she was distracted by the grumbling man having been pushed aside by the prince, watching his expression grow dark and eyes sharpen into a glare. She tip-toed passed him, if that was going to make it any more inconspicuous. As she rested on the balls of her feet beside Ling, she could have sworn she heard his stomach rumble.

"Hey," grunted the man. Ushio jumped at his tone, startled; that and the fact that his voice sounded as though he had been swallowing bits of broken glass and rusty nails. It was hard for her to listen to. "We have been waiting here for over an hour" – he gestured to the woman standing beside him – "and do not plan on having some cocky kid march ahead of us."

"Calm down," hushed the woman, placing a hand on his broad shoulder. Her tone was soothing, since she was trying to relax her partner, but she did not appear to let Ling get away with it either. Her dark eyebrows were furrowed, emphasizing the wrinkles forming around her eyes.

While Ushio was speechless, she was amazed at Ling's sudden change in attitude as he turned to face the pair of strangers. What he began to say also shocked her, seeing that it was very cliché and pompous, since it could have been handled in several other, more apologetic ways. "I am Ling Yao, twelfth son of–"

"I don't care who you are!" raged the man, face growing reddened. Beside him, the woman rolled her eyes. She was probably more fed up with him rather than mad at her and the prince, decided Ushio.

Everything from then on fell into place as if it had been planned. Ushio was yanked back by Ling, who was pulling on the collar of her dress. She was entirely at a loss as she saw Lan Fan land before her with a heavy thump, crouched over in a catlike position. Both sets of eyes belonging to the man and woman were wide. Lan Fan had taken control of the situation with a single move, leaving Ushio as a hollow shell in awe of what had happened.

"I cannot allow you to speak to the Young Lord with such a tone," spat Lan Fan under her breath, hissing razor blade-like emphasis into each of her words. She was slowly and swiftly rising to her feet. Ushio could only imagine the cruel look gleaming in her eyes.

The very most surprising thing about the whole ordeal was when Ushio felt a hand protectively slip around her back, running across her shoulder blades, and resting with a firm grip on her shoulder. She looked up, seeing nothing but the fierce possessiveness holding strong in Ling's eyes. She was at ease, being pulled in so close to him, still found that she was frightened by Lan Fan's unseen wickedness. As much as she wanted to, she was fascinated and could not bring herself to look away.

"I said I don't care who he is," spattered the man dumbly, his sharp tongue flicking at the ends of his words. "And I don't care who you are, either, girly. You have no power over me." He quickly drew his arm back into the air above his head, his hand balled into a fist.

Lan Fan literally caught the weak punch out of the air just as it was about to dig into Ling's throat. Gripping the man's now shaking fist with one hand, she used her automail fingers to clench tightly around his forearm. The loud, sickening crunch of bunch reached Ushio's ears after a delayed moment of watching his arm bend in an unnatural way.

The man was screaming curses at the top of his lungs, face turning so red that it appeared violet. The woman was agape, at a loss of what to do. Her shaking hands were failing to mend to his broken bones, and only caused him to yell louder.

Lan Fan recognized how uncalled for her actions were by the stern look given to her by Ling. She ducked her head apologetically in a bow and found a voice within her that was louder than the man she had injured, "This man needs a doctor! Does anyone here practice medical alkahestry?"

Meanwhile, Ushio was staring glassy-eyed at the entire situation, her empty gaze switching quickly from the man to Lan Fan to Ling – whose arm was still wrapped around her – in a desperate search for some sort of reassurance or answer.

Ling gently nudged Ushio forwards, pushing her out of the chaotic crowd that had swarmed around the man. She followed Lan Fan to the front of the open restaurant, which had been cleared due to people's curiosity as to what the ruckus outside was. Ling happily climbed up onto a stool at the counter, ushering Ushio to sit beside him, while Lan Fan addressed the flustered chef peering over the counter. Ushio could not hear what she had said to him, but did see him nod quickly and return to the kitchen.

"You are more than welcome to stay with us Lan Fan," offered Ling politely, patting the empty stool on his free side. There was an unfinished meal sitting on that section of counter, so the prince casually pushed it aside as if it was not there. "Please."

"No, thank you. I am not hungry," she insisted. With that, she turned quickly and disappeared out of the restaurant.

When Ling turned to face Ushio, he nearly broke out laughing. Her scared expression was deeply etched into her expressions. It was priceless!

"I apologize if she scared you," said Ling. Ushio could not find enough of her voice to answer; it had been scared out of her vocal cords by Lan Fan only a moment ago. She could not even turn to face him. What if he could do the same thing? What if he could hurt people like that? Or even worse, what if he already had? Ushio could not deal with that! "Hello, Ushio? U-shio-chan!" He drawled out the last nickname, purring softly.

Ushio began to melt out of the ice she had been so frozen with. She built the courage to turn and face him.

Just as she did, she was nose to nose with the prince, staring at him confused. Had he always been that close to her-?

Her thoughts were cut short by his puckered lips pressed against hers. Ling pulled away with a devious smirk on his face, his eyes gleaming at her.

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><p><strong>PHEW! I am finally done with this chapter! It may not have been that long (or spectacular…) but it gave me a terrible case of writer's block. I actually had been ignoring it for a few days.<strong>

…**Not that any of that matters! I was very excited to show Lan Fan off a lot in this chapter, especially since anything else I have read with her in it did not have her live up to her badass potential. People tend to forget that she is a trained assassin. And then, of course, since Ling and Ushio are going out to eat, he had to treat it like an awkward first date, right? So why not get the kiss over with first? I think I will actually continue this scene into the next chapter, so let me know what you think of it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

…**Where the date continues...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>Ushio was having trouble seeing. She felt Ling's lips against hers but her vision was so blurry that she could hardly make out his face, only several inches in front of her. The initial feeling of a racing heart had dulled within her, leaving her chest almost as lifeless as her eyes were shocked.<p>

The prince pulled away, a devious smile slapped across his lips. His normally narrow eyes were wide, gleaming proudly at her. Ushio was unsure what to make of his expression. Hell, she was unsure why he would have done that in the first place. Ling glanced over his shoulder towards the door, as if to check for Lan Fan. His shoulders fell with a sigh when he did not see her standing there.

"I am sorry that I startled you," he apologized. "But I was only trying to get your attention, really."

In her head, Ushio tried to make sense of that; there were so many possible scenarios that could lead to and he was not being specific in the least. Was he trying to distract her from the fact that he had hurt people like Lan Fan had just done or just Lan Fan in general? Could it be that the kiss was actually displaying some sort of affection towards her? He could even be mocking her! What if he knew that she _liked _him?

Ushio asked a final question of herself. …How in the _hell _was she thinking so clearly, let alone logically?

Without realizing she was doing so, Ushio began drumming her fingers against the wooden countertop, almost as if she was impatient. Her other hand was clenched into a fist with her nails digging sharply into her palm as it rested in her lap, firmly pressed against her leg. She was not strong at all, but anyone else would have given themselves a bruise while doing so. As much as she wanted to avoid the prince's eyes, theirs were locked. She had no idea how she was supposed to react from there.

Just as she was about to address him, the chef returned from the kitchen beyond the counter. In his blatantly aged hands were two plates of food, which she saw Ling marveling at. The prince's jaw had dropped to the floor, his tongue nearly spilling out, and his eyes could only be described as hungry. As the plates were placed before them, Ushio was the one to thank the chef quietly while Ling had already begun shoveling food into his mouth.

The pair of chopsticks that were on the side of her plate felt unnatural in Ushio's trembling fingers, she could not manage to sit them against her skin properly. As she finally began to attempt picking at the colorful vegetables before her, Ling interrupted her, causing her to drop the chopsticks into her lap. Ushio sighed.

The prince gulped. "Please excuse how straightforward I was. I don't want this to jeopardize anything," Ling told her. "But, before you ask, I could have found other ways to get your attention aside from kissing you, yes. Since I was given the opportunity to do so, I took advantage of it."

Though she was unsure that was what he intended it to come across as, to Ushio it had sounded as though Ling had wanted to kiss her because he did like her. She tried to think of other things that statement could have meant, especially since she could not believe the only legitimate meaning that first came to mind.

"I'm sorry…" muttered Ushio, almost inaudibly, under her breath, "but…what?"

"Nothing!" chirped Ling with a happy smile slathered across his lips. He was suddenly asking as if nothing had happened. Ushio was confused. "Just forget about it. Ahh-nom!" The prince wrapped his lips around the end of his chopsticks, swallowing whatever he had picked off of his plate.

"And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that?" she asked lowly, under her breath. Besides, if Ushio did forget about the kiss, then she would be left with this image of Ling being some terribly awful person that she did not want. The kiss was what she had to distract herself. "I am sorry but I really don't think that is possible for me."

Ling nodded understandingly. He was radiating this cheerful, childlike aura that she had never sensed about him before; Ushio was wondering what could have caused him to have such a drastic change in mood so quickly after recovery. "Well, if you don't think that you can erase it then we make it something you won't ever forget," he grinned.

Ushio knew better, at this point, than to ask him what he planned to do. She tried to keep an open mind about what he was going to do, but her thoughts kept growing narrower and narrower until they eventually reached a conclusion. And until his lips once again rested upon hers.

Only this time, she could feel Ling's hand slithering around her back, gently pulling her towards him. Her heart was fluttering nervously inside of her chest, pulsing through her entire body until it reached her fingertips and toes, warning her to back away. She took the time to wonder why she could possibly want to back away from him, especially since she was falling for him. Ushio was inches away from scooting off of the stool and landing at his feet, her body was already tense to brace itself.

Just as she lost her footing and began to slip, Ling pressed his hand over her shoulder blades, giving her one last shove forward. Ushio's lips were ripped away from his as she sank onto the floor, landing with her feet tucked under her butt. She was staring directly at Ling's knees, tears swelling along the rims of her eyes. She was angry with herself; she could feel the frustration stiffening her muscles.

Ling extended a hand down for her. "Are you alright?" he asked, his playful attitude slowly fading. Concern was gleaming in his eyes. When she did not take his hand, he reached down even further and grabbed her pale hand himself, yanking her back onto her feet forcefully. He placed his hands firmly on her trembling shoulders. "I…am confused."

Before she even opened her mouth, Ushio promised herself that she was not going to start bawling the moment she did. She had no reason to be crying, she was just overwhelmed. "Why would you do _that_?" she asked, wiping the miniscule tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

She was honestly surprised by how much more collected and calm her voice sounded than she actually felt, Ushio was truly shaking of nerves internally.

"That one was because I like you," answered Ling.

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><p>Though they stayed several more minutes after the kiss – mostly for Ling to finish his meal and then insist to the chef that he did not have to pay because he was Ling Yao, twelfth son of the emperor of Xing, something he flaunted shamelessly to strangers – it was rather uneventful for Ushio, who sat quietly after losing her appetite. The pair walked back to the caravan together, taking only the back roads until they reached the outskirts of the city.<p>

Ling told stories throughout the trip back, which took longer than expected because of their misguided senses of direction, mostly of his time spent in Amestris. He told of alchemy, the country's equivalent of alkahestry and the dangers it brought upon him, Fu, and Lan Fan – that seemed to be the focus of his tales, mostly because he could go into however much detail he wanted with her and not have Ushio suspect anything. Also appearing several times in his stories were Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers and one was also the youngest State Alchemist in Amestrian history. Ushio liked to hear more about Alphonse and what Ling had thought of him, especially since he had called them similar earlier. He explained how the Fuhrer was hunting down him and Lan Fan, leading her to slice her own arm off, and that he was also the one to kill Fu when he tried to avenge his granddaughter. No matter how Ling so carefully worded it, Ushio knew that he was leaving specific details out of his stories, not everything fit together like puzzle pieces.

By the time he was done telling stories and asked her to share something of interest, Ushio was staring up at a star-dotted sky that was a color nearly darker than pitch. They were nowhere near returning to the caravan any time soon. At first Ushio did not know what he could say that would even compare to what he talked about, she would have had to lie about something. He assured her that there was no need for it to be so glamorous. Eventually, Ushio told of the time she had dreamt about days before, the time that she had seen him and Lan Fan sparring in the courtyard and how her mother would not let her go outside.

"So that's why you wanted me to take you there when we go to the palace," Ling realized, his voice whispery. When he spoke, Ushio felt like she was listening to water running smoothly, it was relaxing. "And if I have not already said so, that is something that I am more than happy to do for you."

"If you actually wanted to _kiss _me, then I think you would be alright with doing anything for me," shrugged Ushio, not realizing what she had said until after it left her lips. She gaped at herself, but could not find it within her to apologize.

Ling chuckled. "Sure," he said in between laughs.

She supposed that it was better he was always laughing and in a good mood and not saying a word about her slip-ups than it was for him to be so serious all the time and scold her for them. From there, she began fall behind Ling, following at his heels instead of walking with him. Overall, Ushio felt more comfortable around him, but she wondered if kissing him had to change that.

"Ushio." Ling stopped, spinning on his heels to face her instead of just looking over his shoulder. She skidded to a stop, surprised by his sudden action. She had almost run into him. "What are you doing?"

She blinked, cocking her head to the side. What did it like she was doing? "Huh?"

"Why are you slowing down?" asked the prince, not curiously, but concerned. "Are you alright?" A certain expression had settled into his features, one that she had never seen Ling where before. Ushio liked it, it was something new – not that she didn't like to see him smiling.

"I, uh, what?" asked Ushio. She had preoccupied – distracted – herself with his expression, giving herself no time to think of an intelligent answer. "I'm fine. What would be wrong?"

Ling shook his head, causing his dark bangs to fall over half of his face. "I was just wondering. Lan Fan usually starts trailing behind me when something is bothering her," he explained, "so I thought maybe something was getting at you."

What confused Ushio the most was that Lan Fan allowed things to break her solid-as-cement composure. But it was also a nice reminder that Ling genuinely cared about others since he picked up on things like that. "Oh, not at all," she assured with a false smile. "I just, um, I mean I…"

"You just mean that you don't want to trouble me with anything," decided the prince. "If you don't want to tell me anything, just say so."

Ushio nodded. She contently continued behind him, thoughts jumping from topic to topic – most of them somehow relating back to Ling. She thought about what he had told her of Amestris, and how happy he was to be returning to Xing. Assuming that she was never going to experience such excitement, Ushio settled on the fact that meeting Ling was as amazing as her life was going to get. Then again, the kiss was exhilarating in its own right and she did not see that coming.

They reached the campsite after few minutes of walking. Ushio noticed how obvious it was that when they arrived at the outskirts of the city, the air was much clearer, easier to breathe. She found their tent set up near the middle of the pack, something Lan Fan had already taken upon herself to do. Ushio reminded herself to thank the woman, since she had not done so before. It was too bad that they did not find her inside; the thanks would have to wait until later.

Ling almost automatically crashed onto his sleeping mat, burying his face against the thin pillow. He released a muffled noise, something that could only be described as tired mewl.

Ushio, too, dropped onto her sleeping mat, but first to her knees just to break the fall. She slowly lowered herself onto her back, not realizing how tired and overwhelmed she really was until she lied down. Stiff muscles and a pulse that she could feel thumping in her fingertips were only two of the side effects that she was feeling after such a long day. A heavy weight was pinning her to the floor. She also knew to try not to close her eyes; she knew that if she did, she would be sleeping all too soon.

"Ushio," drawled out Ling. She could still hardly hear him since his face was pressed against his pillow.

"Yes, y–" she cut herself off before she could finish with _your highness._ Ushio wondered where that had even come from; she did not think that she had ever called him that before. And now that she was thinking about it, she really should be addressing him as royalty…

Ling had never told her this – or he did not think that he had; he did not remember much of anything from his days of heat delirium – but he was glad that he had met her. After everything that had happened while in the desert and in Amestris was behind him, Ushio was returning some form of normality to his life. Not boring normal, but the refreshing normal that kept him on his toes since he expected the abnormal now.

Ushio waited for him to start speaking, start telling what he was going to say. She could almost see the thoughts turning inside of his head, the words swelling in his eyes. He just could not seem to fit them to his tongue. The longer she waited, the heavier her eyelids became. They slowly began to slide closed and the longer they stayed that way, the closer she inched to sleep. She tried to stay awake; for the sake of hearing Ling talk – even if she could not process what he was saying – but found it was a harder plan to carry through with.

He rolled over onto his side, facing her. The lantern sitting in the corner of the tent cast a golden glow over his face, reflecting off of his eyes. "I am really happy to be back in Xing," Ling sighed. "It's even better than before. Know why?"

All that reached Ushio's ears was a jumble of slurred words, though they were clearly spoken in Ling's voice.

"Because you're here, too."

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><p><strong>I FINALLY FINISHED! Please, please, pretty please forgive me for updating two days late – it was eating me alive that I had no time to write, really.<strong>

**On a better note, I really liked this chapter. It was not very much of a productive chapter plot-wise, but it got a hell of a lot done relationship-wise. I hope that all of my readers liked it, so let me know what you all thought. I think that's all I have to say. YAY for fluff!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**Where they arrive at the palace.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>"Lan Fan!"<p>

Ushio woke to the sound of Ling's overly high-pitched whining. Her eyes fluttered open to find that her face was pressed against the thin pillow she had used. The fabric was scratchy.

"Yes?" came Lan Fan's quiet voice. She sounded as though she were standing directly over Ushio.

"Lan Fan," the prince continued shrilly, impatiently, "it came undone! Can you retie it?"

Ushio scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. What were they talking about? She shifted, tossing herself onto her back gently. Sticky-from-sweat hair stuck damply to the back of her head.

"Can't you tie it yourself?" asked Lan Fan, sounding slightly irritated. Ushio could just tell that the woman was biting back an annoyed sigh.

"I can't do it as well as you do, though!" protested Ling. The ground shook slightly under her back as the prince stomped against the ground, causing Ushio's body to jolt. "Please, Lan Fan?"

Ushio quickly sat up; causing the blanket that had been draped over her during the night to fall limply into her lap. Ling dropped to his knees at the foot of Ushio's makeshift bed, his head just at the perfect height above the ground for Lan Fan to tie back his long black hair. The woman's fingers were stumbling to fold the slim ribbon into a bow, but she managed anyhow.

"Thank you," purred the prince with a childish smirk slapped across his lips. Ushio could not tell if his eyes were open or not. "Good morning, Ushio!"

The girl nodded, not processing his words right away. "Mhm," she mumbled hoarsely, brushing strands of dark hair away from her eyes.

When she attempted to stand, she realized that sleep had settled deeply into her entire body and was weighing her down. Ushio's eyelids were still rather heavy as well, slipping over her eyes when she was not forcing herself to keep them open. It was just going to be one of those days, the kind where despite knowing she had to keep up her fair share of work and finish a list of things to do, she was going to be lazy about doing so. Even if the day had just begun, she was scolding herself for acting so useless.

"I talked to your father before you woke," said Lan Fan quietly, running her fingers through Ling's ponytail to brush out the knots. As Ushio came to full awareness, she could feel jealousy heating her head when she watched the other woman – she knew that it was merely protective instinct towards the prince that kept them so close, but she wanted to brush his hair, too! "He said that we are going to make it to the palace to return the Young Lord by noon."

"Ah," murmured Ushio, nodding. She did not know what to react towards, the fact that reaching the palace meant staying with her mother and leaving Ling or that the prince was going to take her into the courtyard – a place she had never been allowed to enter before – as a sort of payment. "I did not realize we were already that close to the capitol."

Ling piped in, "Neither did I." He stood on his feet again, carefully stepped over Ushio's sleeping mat, and extended a hand her which she took gladly.

At that moment, when Ushio stood before him, self-consciousness overwhelmed her. He was a prince, a prince with a deadly assassin following him everywhere he went! She treated their relationship, if that is what it would be called between them, much too lightly! Ushio studied his face for a moment, to see if he was catching on to her deep thoughts. She still had not let go of his hand. And she was a trader, a merchant! Who did she think she was to be acting as if they were the same? Her heartbeat was growing faster with every nervous thought.

"Ushio?" asked Ling. As soon as he spoke her name, her thoughts cut short and her mind slowly drained of worry to become entirely blank. His eyes were serious, concerned, as well as his voice. But while he was searching for eye contact, she could not get past the fact that she had not released his hand yet. "Are you alright?"

"I…" She trailed off, unable to honestly answer the question. After all, how could she do anything but lie when she did not even know the answer herself? "I'm sorry."

His voice grew lighter, and certainly not as heavy with emotion. "What are you sorry for?" he questioned in all seriousness. Ling's hand wrapped tighter around hers, squeezing her fingers just a bit too tightly. She could not pull her gaze away.

"I don't know, that's what I am sorry for," she explained, though doubted it did her any good. She knew she was more than awkward when it came to trying to explain her feelings. "I don't know if I am alright. I don't know why I am acting like this. I think that deserves an apology."

"_I also think that you should not be wasting this much of your time worrying about me,"_ she thought quietly in the back of her mind, although she kept that to herself.

Ushio could almost see the words stringing into sentences in Ling's eyes, his dark irises appeared clouded by thought. But instead of speaking, he released her hand. Her skin was stiffened, frozen while adjusting to the change in temperature. Just as she was about to ask herself why he would have done that, Ushio felt him wrap his arms around her back to pull her towards him. Her nose was buried against his shoulder.

"Why?" asked Ushio, breathing in his scent off of his clothes. Her voice was muffled. She did not know how else she could respond to his actions.

"Why not?" countered the prince, his eyes gleaming. He was smiling down at her – not smirking, not grinning, and there was nothing mischievous about it – just smiling happily.

Ushio could not find any part of her willing to argue with him, with that expression. Though, the longer she remained still, the more fluently her thoughts began to continue. She was in the arms of a prince, treated as an equal – something that she certainly was not. Ushio needed to find a way to apologize for her behavior around him, to make it up to him somehow. Surely, he thought it was disrespectful…?

"Go find Jiang," Ling ordered Lan Fan over his shoulder, releasing his arms around Ushio. The girl stood dazed before him, staring blankly at the base of his neck. "I want you to tell him that his daughter will be accompanying me back to the palace, so there is no trouble to tag along further than you would have to without her."

This excited her. She had never been to the palace without her father escorting her, something she enjoyed greatly considering that she never took to her mother. "Thank you," said Ushio, her eyes smiling.

Ling did not respond, he watched Lan Fan slip out of the tent and then smiled at her once more. He then offered to begin packing up their belongings since it was about the time of morning where they took off again. Ushio insisted on doing everything by herself – rolling up the sleeping mats, taking down the tent, and pulling out the stakes – mostly because she worried it would make the prince feel out of place to have to do such work. Ling helped her anyway, and when Lan Fan returned, so did she.

Weights began to drop from Ushio's shoulders as soon as everything was picked up and the caravan was trailing on, heading in the general direction of the capitol. Things seemed smoother now that there was no need for her to be talking to Ling, even though she wanted to, because if she did not speak with him, there was no need to worry about how she was treating him. And when she began to think about that, she distracted herself by the body bag containing Fu that Lan Fan carried.

Hours passed. The most productive thing that Ushio had done since the start of the morning was decide that she was no longer going to put up with her mother treating her like she did not know her at all, like she was such a low being in comparison. Otherwise, she had not spoken a word to neither Ling nor Lan Fan. Ushio had carried on by herself, keeping to her thoughts.

There was no way of telling since she did not wear a wrist watch, but Ushio assumed the sun had risen high overhead, it was past noon. She had not gotten her hopes up to have arrived at the palace by that time, but the thought of traveling any longer was causing her feet to drag. Ushio was being beaten by burning hot rays of the sun, wearing her out until she thought there was nothing left. She could tell that Ling was growing impatient as well, not that he was trying to hide it in the least. It was late afternoon at this point, after all.

"I am so hungry!" he whined, hanging his head low.

But, as all things do, the journey in the heat ended when they saw the palace climbing the side of a mountain – not too far off in the distance. The very sight of the colorful wooden beams, elaborate arches heading off paths to the front steps, and the main stairway itself that would kill their exhausted legs to climb, was enough to cause their hearts to beat excitedly and fatigue to seemingly wash away.

The trio broke away from the rest of the caravan at this point, with only their belongings in hand, to continue on their own. Ling was walking faster than both Lan Fan and Ushio, his feet tripping over themselves every so often. He was the only one of them to have enough energy left to express emotion.

They followed along the path leading directly to the steep steps into the palace, which was lined with colorful flowers of every kind and many other simply green plants that Ushio had no name for. While she enjoyed spending most of her time in Amestris, they did not keep any sort of plant there that compared to anything in Xing. She knew each had a certain medical purpose that the alkahests used, and that was why they were there, but they were still pretty to look at. Her fascinations with plants lead to her being kept inside, which brought her cheerful mood down. Maybe she was not as excited about returning as she thought she was.

"Is there something bothering you, Ushio?" asked Ling politely, referring to the anxious expression the girl wore.

"No," she answered promptly, not wanting to be any trouble to him. Ushio had not thought of it this way, but Ling's kiss and his attempts to grow closer to her were ultimately pushing them apart. She had to change that.

Ling held his head high, his nose turned towards the sky snootily. "I don't believe you," he spat, glancing quickly over his shoulder at her with a grin upon his lips to tell her that he was teasing. He was very playful when he wanted to be, that much was evident.

Ushio shrugged, refusing to go any deeper into the conversation. The fact that he cared enough to ask was something reassuring, though – especially since he did not ask out of mere formality.

"You are more than welcome to stay with me," offered the prince kindly. "You don't have to go back to staying with your mother if you don't want to."

It amazed Ushio that he had nailed exactly what was pestering her thoughts without her telling him more than a single word. She did not, however, know if she could accept. As much as she wanted to, how inappropriate would it be for her to stay in quarters anywhere but where the help slept? Ushio did not know exactly what he was offering, but it did not sound like she could agree.

"I will have to think about that," she murmured in response, painful strikes slashing into her skin deeply as she did. Ushio did not want it to sound that she did not want to be with him.

"Alright," Ling chirped, much to her surprise.

There was a line of Xingese guards standing before the base of steps leading into the palace, each one of them stern-faced and brawny. Ushio had forgotten about this part of the palace – as she did every single time that she returned. She jumped, startled, behind Ling as the guards stepped forward in unison, glaring at the three of them.

"I am Ling Yao, twelfth son of the Emperor!" announced the prince with such unexpected authority. The guards standing directly in front of them broke out of line, allowing them a gap to walk up the stairway. Ling strode through with a confidence that was nothing less than royal.

As Ushio had predicted, climbing the stairs was killing her. Her legs felt like they were being torn apart from the inside-out with every step she took. She could not let such a weakness show, though, since neither Ling nor Lan Fan was having the same difficulty that she was.

They reached the open foyer of the palace, a large room with high ceilings, golden sunlight streaming in through wide window, potted plants sitting along the walls, and a colorful, tiled floor. It seemed like the entire palace sat still, like they were the only three inhabiting it. Ushio, for a single sliver of a second, allowed her barrier to break down. She felt special standing there, more so than she had in years.

"It seems like most people have retired for the night," observed Lan Fan informatively. "We should be able to slip back to your quarters before anyone notices your return, my lord."

"Great!" exclaimed Ling. "I would hate to be troubled after such a long day of walking." He turned to Ushio. "It looks as if you are going to have to stay with us. And I am sure that was the last thing you wanted!" He smirked teasingly.

Without a word, Ushio was lead down a stretch of corridors by the prince, twisting and turning down hallways until they reached a point in the palace that Ushio had never been before. She rightfully assumed that it was where the royals' quarters were kept.

"Here we are," announced Ling as he approached the final door in a hallway tucked far away in the back of the palace. He bid a goodnight wish to Lan Fan before the woman disappeared through another door. Unlike several of the other doors belonging to princes and princesses that Ushio had seen throughout the palace, Ling's name was written on his door in Amestrian letters. He opened to door, gesturing for her to step inside first.

Unlike the cramped bedroom that she shared with her mother when staying in Xing, Ling's chambers were very open and spread out. The far wall was nearly twenty-five meters away from the door and lead to a beautiful balcony overlooking the green mountainside. His four-poster bed was pushed against the wall to the left and across the room from it was a full-sized wardrobe. In the center of the room was a fireplace with the chimney stretching through the ceiling. Ling walked in, simply flipped a switch, and the sudden burst of lighting flames caught beautifully in the color of the red walls.

"It gets rather cold in here during the nighttime," explained Ling.

Ushio was not entirely listening to him as he spoke; she was having a troubled time getting past the fact that he expected for her to stay with him in a room with only one bed. It had not occurred to her before that this might be the situation, especially since they had been sharing a 'room' for quite some time now. Her heart was racing as she watched Ling flop onto his mattress.

"Ushio?" asked the prince, cocking his head to the side curiously. He sat up to look at her.

"I think that I am going to find my mother's room to let her know that I am here," she mumbled nervously, clutching her bag of belongings in tight fists. "Would you mind showing me the way back to the foyer…?"

"Why are you worried all of the sudden?" Ling questioned. Ushio bit down on her lip. "You don't have to leave. I would rather you stayed here anyway."

"I don't know if I want to anymore. I'm sorry," apologized Ushio under her breath. She twisted a strand of inky hair around her index finger nervously.

Ling rose to his feet again. "Please," he murmured softly. In only a few strides towards her, Ling's face was hovering right above her own. He pecked her forehead gently.

For the second time in only a few short days, Ushio felt truly like a child in his presence. She was frightened by her confusion and unsure of what he meant to be talking about. She was, yet again, scared of him.

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><p><strong>That chapter was all over the place, I am sorry. But I did like how it came together in the end – mostly because Ling's motives are entirely misleading! I know how most of you readers are going to take the whole situation, it seems that way to me and I am the one who wrote it! But no, don't get your hopes up for anything. There is a deep emotional meaning, I promise.<strong>

**I do also hope that you enjoyed the little bit of dialogue between Ling and Lan Fan in the beginning. It is actually an idea that came to me at four in the morning and was so cute that I just had to fit it in. Anyway, my personal life was a bit hectic this week so I am sorry that it reflected strongly on this chapter. I have had to deal with the same questioning Ushio did throughout the chapter and have been very down. I thank you for understanding a promise a more inspired update next week!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**Where Ushio does some thinking, and limits are pushed.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>"Ushio, you're tired," murmured Ling, stepping towards her slowly. She was avoiding his eyes, unable to bear the burning gleam in his eyes as he looked at her. "Don't make this any harder on yourself than it already is."<p>

Ushio's body was entirely on edge, her skin was crawling and she was shifting her eyes back and forth across the room. She had never felt so awkwardly nervous in her life. "Ling…" She began, soon fading into silence. She could not, for the life of her, express what she was thinking in words. "I…_can't _stay here."

There were too many reasons why she could not spend the night there. With him. In his bedroom. Ushio blank stare was wearing holes into the floorboards. She did not think she could even take the time to explain every one of those reasons. He was a prince and she was not worthy of speaking to him casually, let alone share his bedroom; a boy and a girl sharing a bedroom is inappropriate in its own right, no matter what the status is between them… Ushio bit her lip. She knew she should just save them the trouble of the horrid outcome of this situation just by leaving.

While his expression grew flat and understanding, his eyes were glowing with an overprotective fierceness. "Please," he murmured, hardly containing the growl that slipped through his lips. "I haven't spent a night by myself since before we first left for Amestris; I am not used to it."

It was a strange reason to keep her there; Ushio was not ready to give any form of consent. "I want to," she lied with ease, "but I just don't think it would be right for me to…"

"Why?" asked Ling, taking a small step backwards. Ushio saw his movement was to give her enough personal space, something she had been lacking until then.

"Why?" echoed Ushio under her breath. _He truly is an idiot prince if he doesn't see anything wrong with this! _She turned her face up towards him, her dark eyes reflecting his. "Because you're a prince!"

She was so sure of what she had said to him and was terribly passionate about those words; her slim shoulders were rising and falling with each inhale that she drew. Ushio had gone and worked herself up over nothing, of that she was sure, but at least he understood her point. She would have thought that considering how quiet she was, she would ever want to be heard so badly.

Ushio watched Ling's eyes grow open, the sharp possessiveness that consumed them dulling before transforming entirely into an expression of concern. "I can't pretend not to know what you mean," he said, his head hanging low so that his bangs fell over his face.

She braced herself, worried about how he might react further. Ushio hoped that he would not be upset with her, especially not for raising her voice – even if it was only a slight bit. Her hands were flexed by her sides, stretching away the stiff tension that was settling in her muscles. She watched Ling turn his face up at her, his eyes closed as if he was thinking. Ushio's heart was racing as she watched him open his eyes, but then began to relax once she saw him turn away from her. It was only relieving because she did not think that she could handle looking at him anymore.

"Ushio," said Ling, his voice a tired sort of cheerful – a tone she had only heard him use when he was acting lighthearted. He crossed the room for the wardrobe against his wall and flung the doors open dramatically. He paused for a moment, staring at a rack of close and folded garments piled underneath, as if contemplating something. Ling glanced back over his shoulder at her before yanking a shapeless piece of red fabric off of its hanger and a nicely folded blue something off of the bottom shelf. "These are for you. I'm sorry they are probably going to fall off of you but it's better than sleeping in those, right?"

Ushio had to drop her backpack to catch the red fabric that was thrown at her. The thin silk almost slipped through her fingers. She held it up before her questioningly, only to see that it was a set of crimson pajamas – a nightshirt and pants that would reach a good foot above her waste. Upon that realization, she almost dropped them to the floor.

"What?" asked the prince.

"I cannot wear these," protested Ushio, hopefully not too snootily. She could not stand the thought of acting ungrateful towards him. "I have my own pajamas. Besides, they're…yours."

"You didn't bother to change out of your pajamas this morning…" Ling trailed off. Ushio glanced down at herself in shock, that was something she had not even noticed. She was not even in a rush earlier, how did that happen? "So they are probably gross and sweaty after all of the walking you did today."

She then realized that arguing over pajamas was saying she was going to sleep there. Humiliated, Ushio's eyes grew wide as she watched Ling chuckle at her. "Stop that," she pouted, her cheeks flaring red in embarrassment.

"Fine," agreed Ling, his voice falling to a serious tone. "But you are going to stay here, by order of the prince."

Ushio gulped. _He is a jerk to throw something like that in my face so arrogantly!_ "Fine!" she huffed, knowing that if she used any other tone of voice, her humiliation would be blatantly evident.

"Well, I am going to change," he announced, almost proudly. At that remark, Ushio hurried quietly to the other side of the wardrobe, which was more than wide enough to hide her from Ling. She stood frozen with her back pressed against the wood, waiting.

When she gathered enough courage and decided that she trusted Ling enough, she slipped as quickly out of her pajamas as she possibly could and into Ling's crimson pair. The hem of the nightshirt nearly dropped to her knees and the sleeves were so long it was just easier to let them be than to attempt to roll them up. While the pair of pants was loose and extra fabric bunched up at her ankles, the waist stayed up by clinging to her hips which was what mattered.

Ushio peered around the wardrobe, hoping to see that Ling had already changed. He was leaning against the closest bedpost, clad in only a pair of blue trousers as he waited. "I'm sorry," apologized Ushio as she jumped back into the corner. "I didn't know that you weren't finished yet."

"I am finished," Ling corrected her.

She drew in a deep breath through her nose. There was nothing she could do or say to properly respond to that. "…Will Lan Fan mind that I am staying here?" she asked lamely.

"Don't worry about it," he dismissed, jumping back onto his mattress. "She won't mind a thing if we don't tell her." Ling grinned.

Ushio finally emerged from behind the wardrobe, walking on her toes to carefully avoid stumbling with the extra cloth around her ankles. Ling lifted his head to look at her; she could tell that he was holding back a laugh. She sank to the floor, sitting cross-legged with her back against the bedpost to avoid looking at Ling. It was the best that she could do since she still had to listen to him chuckle.

Ling flipped over onto his stomach, ruffling the comforter that was made up nicely on the mattress. He crawled over to the end of the bed, peeking his head over the edge to look at Ushio. "What are you doing?" he asked, confused.

"Well, if you could so kindly hand me a pillow, I plan on sleeping here," answered Ushio with a sharp nod of her head, as if that reinforced her point any further.

"You can't sleep on the floor," protested Ling. "That would be rude of me to allow such a thing."

_Because you have worried about appearing rude before…?_ Ushio's gaze narrowed at him, almost suspiciously, as she spun around to look at him. She would not feel comfortable doing anything other than sleeping on the floor; she had to stick by her case. "Please," she insisted quietly.

"No."

With that, Ushio had to settle with curling up at the foot of his bed, trying to forget how guilty she felt about being there. Her hands were folded under her head as sort of a makeshift pillow and her eyes were locked on the wardrobe across from the end of the bed. If she made even the tiniest movement, she would surely nudge Ling – who was sprawled out carelessly on the remaining space on the bed.

"Why is staying with me so different now?" asked Ling after a trailing silence. "We did spend more than a week sharing the same tent in the desert."

Ushio could hardly believe that he truly did not know her reasoning; he just wanted her to say it out loud. "It's probably because we are the only two in here," she murmured before adding under her breath, "and because Lan Fan was always there to keep you in check."

She could have sworn that she heard him chuckling. "You worry about the strangest things," he decided aloud, "especially since I am nowhere near being that…_greedy_."

"An odd choice of words," Ushio said as she thought it. "I never would have said it was greedy. Just…" She wanted to say '_moving too fast' _but did not know how he would react to that. But, they already had been moving too fast, hadn't they?

"It isn't," shrugged Ling. "It just doesn't make sense because there is so much that you don't know."

"Will you tell me, then?" asked Ushio. She shifted her weight onto the opposite side of her body so she could comfortably turn her head to look at him.

He sighed. "I don't want to scare you," he admitted. Ling knew that he was probably going to offend her by saying that, she would take it in some way that he had not even thought about, but he had said it anyway knowing that she would be better off ignorant. Certain events that occurred in Amestris would stay solely between Lan Fan and him.

To Ushio, that translated into '_I don't want to tell you because I don't think you would understand_' which ultimately meant '_you're too young_'. She nodded, as if she agreed in understanding. Really, she still wanted to know.

"But, to keep it quite simple, I traveled to Amestris to search for a sure way of winning the throne," Ling explained. It sounded almost typical, a spoiled prince doing whatever it took to become emperor, but Ushio reassured herself that Ling had some deeper reasoning. "That way I know everyone is well protected with me as emperor. I can take care of my people, people like you."

He reached forward to place a strong hand on her shoulder. Ushio melted into his touch. It possibly could have been the sweetest thing that she had ever heard.

"I don't want you to worry about staying here, Ushio."

"I won't," she promised before realizing what she had said.

Ling raked his fingers through her hair, pulling it out from under her head. She watched it be strewn across the sheets. "I see why you're always fiddling with your hair," he murmured absentmindedly. Ushio grinned hopelessly, amazed how easily distracted he was.

"Um…yeah? I guess it's nice…"

Ling inched closer to her. "See? This almost no different from our sleeping arrangements in the desert!"

"Almost?" Ushio echoed, questioningly.

"Yes, except now I can do this." He pecked her on the cheek.

"Yes," she muttered, her eyes spinning wildly out of focus. Her head was reeling and her heart was pounding, even though his lips barely brushed her skin. "Now you can do _that._"

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><p>Ushio rose earlier than normal the next morning, she could tell because the sun was hidden well behind the horizon so that not a single ray of light peered over. She really did not remember when she had fallen asleep; she hardly even recalled that she had spent the night in a prince's room. She sat upright, glanced around to make sure that Ling was still asleep – asleep a good three feet out of reach from her – and decided that it was time to start the day, despite it being so early.<p>

She slid off the end of the bed, her feet threatening to give in from under her when they hit the wooden floorboards. Ushio tip-toed towards the door, hoping that she would be able to find her way back to the foyer by herself – it was the only way she could find her mother in this labyrinth of a palace. Thank goodness it did not creak on its hinges when she opened it, Ushio did not want to risk waking Ling as she slowly slipped into the hallway. She felt guilty about not telling anyone that she had returned, her mother especially.

"Ushio," drawled out Ling. He sat up on the bed. She froze to turn and look back at him. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go see my mother," whispered Ushio groggily. Her only worry was waking him up, and now that he was, she did not have a clue why she was still whispering.

"I don't think that you should do that yet," he said. "Lan Fan and I have a meeting with the Royal Council and Emperor later, I want for you to be there."

She did not question why she had to go, she was just happy that he wanted her to go with him. Ushio nodded, unable to think of anything intelligent to say. She stepped back inside, closing the door behind her. A nervous shiver shook through her when she realized how awful she was going to feel sitting in such a meeting like that.

"The only thing is…" Ling trailed off, his eyes wondering away from her face across the room. "I don't think that you are going to like what you're going to hear, I don't even know if you'll be welcome."

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><p><strong>I felt that the chapter was dragging on as it was, so I went against my original plans and cut it short. I seriously doubt that anyone minds. The scene that I was going to use to end this chapter will start the next.<strong>

**I know it wasn't the greatest chapter in the world, but I hope that readers were interested enough with relationship development rather than focusing on the plot. Reviews are very much appreciated and loved~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

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><p>The meeting was held in a great hall, extravagant gold carvings were pressed into the green walls and multicolored paper lanterns hung from the ceiling to illuminate the room. A single panel of glass ran around the entire perimeter of the room as well, in the space when the wall met the ceiling. Ushio found herself in amazement of the empty hall; it was a place that she did not know existed within the palace. She, Ling, and Lan Fan had arrived before anyone else upon the bodyguard's insisting.<p>

Ushio tensed and his behind the prince and more and more people began arriving. She had names for none of them and hardly recognized their faces, but they were so blatantly showing off that they were nobility with robes and jewels and such. Another thing that she hated about living in the palace was that everyone made sure that she knew how low in the chain she was, which was even more evident now that she realized how much she liked Ling.

The three of them stood at the very head of the hall, while two lines of nobility formed to their left and right. Across the hall from them stood the Emperor, to whom Ling showed complete confidence. Meanwhile, Ushio was so nervous that she could not concentrate on anything. And to think that she was nervous just around Ling!

"Tell me," spoke the Emperor, his voice echoing throughout the empty hall, "why have you insisted that this meeting be so soon? Time is a precious thing, need I remind you."

"Of course," agreed the prince, bowing his head. "I insisted upon this gathering to present the coveted Philosopher's Stone." Ling was straightforward, as always. He gestured to Lan Fan.

The woman rolled up her sleeve, revealing the gleaming metal of her automail forearm. Ushio watched in anxious captivation and pure interest as Lan Fan slipped her fingers under the plating and removed a small bottle filled with crimson liquid. She handed it to Ling. Ushio was amazed and wondering how long that had been there. Probably since their departure from Amestris, she decided.

"With this," Ling continued, "you are free to gain immortality, or whatever else you want with it. You can live out the rest of your life without the worry of looking after a country. In return, I ask that you hand the throne over to me."

The emperor appeared as though he was actually considering this offer, or at least thinking about it. Ushio was completely absorbed in what was happening, it kept her from actually thinking about the conversation. She just wanted to know what was going to happen next. "How do I know this _Philosopher's Stone _is going to work?" asked the emperor, thin brow furrowing. "How am I supposed to trust something that I have no knowledge of? What made you think that taking my thrown would be that easy?"

"Use it first, experiment freely, do whatever you need to prove it to yourself that it works," offered the prince. Quite generously too, if Ushio said so herself. "As soon as you have done so, step down."

There was a sea of murmurs erupted among the nobles. Every pair of eyes was glaring judgmentally in their direction, certainly at Ling but that did not mean Ushio did not feel uncomfortable as well. She was growing more and more anxious to leave.

The emperor gave a final, dramatic nod. "I suppose…"

As simple as that was, it appeared to Ushio that the gathering was over. The nobles and advisors were being dismissed and shuffled around her towards the door. She remained frozen, nervous by Ling's side. Her heart jumped into her throat when his hand enveloped her own, bringing her closer to him.

"Are you alright?" his voice was quiet, calm. With only three words the prince seemed to draw away any tension from her. Ushio looked to him, hoping that her eyes could say what her mouth could not. Ling smiled at her. "Can I take that as a yes?"

She sighed. "I don't know." Ushio felt utterly lost.

Ling turned swiftly towards the door, beckoning her to follow when she stood merely watching him leave. She hurried after him. Lan Fan stayed behind.

"I think that we should talk about something," he announced eventually, leading her through brightly painted corridors. Ling seemed so casual about everything, all the time. Ushio liked that, it made it easier to keep herself calm. "I am going to be emperor."

Ushio nearly laughed. She already knew that, she had just listened to him arrange that. Her lips spread into a smile. "Of course," she said, "and you will be great at it."

He nodded, but did not say anything for a moment. "That means that I will marry, you know, it means that I have to," continued Ling, explaining things much too coolly for her liking. He was acting nonchalantly about it, almost as if it did not mean anything.

"I suppose that only seems appropriate," she agreed, nodding. Ushio was tearing herself apart inside, trying not to seem that upset over it. Ling was important to her and she was going to have to let him waltz into the arms of someone else. She knew she should just be supportive of him because she was not one to complain, but she could not help herself. It took nearly all of her self-restrain to keep her mouth shut. "I should have been keeping this in mind," muttered Ushio to herself.

"Hm?" He raised his eyebrows. "I know this has gone by quickly, so before I ask anything, I need to tell you that… I love you."

Dark eyes grew wide. While she had been hoping for some time that he would tell her that, she never expected it to happen. She searched his face for any signs of joking. There weren't any.

"I love you," repeated Ling. His eyes were gazing at her warmly. "I want you to marry me."

Ushio could not answer him. She could not believe her ears; they had been drowned out by the thundering of her heart. She stopped abruptly, snatching her hand away from his. Sunlight poured through the window onto him as he turned to face her, expression confused. Ushio could not process what was happening.

"Is that…a proposal?" she asked, whispering. "Am I supposed to say yes?"

"Only if you want to." His eyes were sparkling.

She was too young. She had only known him for a short time. She knew that she was no good for him. She would cause too much trouble for him. She was childish to think this was serious. She had no right to even think that she could act as casually around him as she had been. She was ugly. She was stupid. She was immature.

"Yes."

He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you, too," she whispered to the base of his throat.

Ling wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in against his side. Ushio forced herself to relax, slowing her heartbeat and her train of thought. She rested her head in the crook of his neck. The two fit together perfectly like a pair of puzzle pieces.

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><p><strong>I know I rushed things. I know that the chapter was short. I know that it took me forever to update. I apologize for all of that. I just hoped that everyone who has stuck with this story likes it.<strong>

**The end is nearing. I am warning that there is only one chapter, an epilogue, left and I do not know when it will come. However, I promise to all of you that it will be the best chapter yet. I will not rush through writing it. I will make it great.**

**And to XxDaydreamxSyndromexX, thank you for giving me the opportunity to write this for you. I apologize for most likely not meeting your standards. I feel awful that I could not do more.**

**Reviews are loved.**


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